Bucs O-line has been 5 years in the making. Just look at 'em now They crept up on us. All 1,500 pounds of them. While we applauded the offseason return of Mike Evans/Baker Mayfield/Lavonte David, and we dove into the potential of the pass rushers, and nodded approvingly at the changing of the guard at linebacker, it turns out we missed one of the, um, biggest storylines of Tampa Bay's 2024 season: What about that offensive line? Through 49 seasons and more than 760 regular-season games, the Bucs had never accumulated as many yards on offense as they did Sunday in a wacky 51-27 win against the Saints in New Orleans. The Bucs ran the ball, they passed the ball, they occasionally lost track of the ball, and, when it was all over, they had gained an astounding 594 yards of total offense to set a franchise record. Do you have any idea how rare that is? Since the NFL merger in 1970, only three teams had passed for more than 300 yards and rushed for more than 275 yards in the same game. The Cowboys did it in 1978, the 49ers in 2012 and the Dolphins last season. And now the 2024 Bucs. So, yes, applaud Baker Mayfield and his four touchdown passes. Salute Sean Tucker, who stepped in for Rachaad White and had the game of his life with 136 rushing yards, 56 receiving yards and the first two touchdowns of his NFL career. Thank the heavens Chris Godwin is still quietly carving up opposing secondaries. Just don't forget that it all starts with the big boys up front. "Hats off to those guys," Mayfield told reporters after the game. This isn't exactly a shock. It's not as if the offensive line was considered a weakness coming into the season. We kind of just took them for granted. And by "we" I mean everybody. When Pro Football Focus ranked offensive lines in the offseason, the Bucs came in at a middling No. 17. Five weeks later, PFF had upgraded the Bucs O-line to No. 6. Presumably, it will be even higher next week. And, incredibly, the line has been intact at the start of only one of Tampa Bay's first six games. Just when they were ready to welcome back Luke Goedeke after missing four games with a concussion, rookie center Graham Barton was ruled out with a sore hamstring. In his place on Sunday was Robert Hainsey, who had quietly accepted a demotion to second-string after starting every game for the previous two seasons. "Bob is one of my best friends," Mayfield said at his postgame news conference. "I love Bob, and he just hasn't wavered throughout the whole thing. He's continued to lead and help Graham throughout this process. And then he gets this opportunity and takes advantage of it. So, big-time for him and all those guys up front." This isn't the same line that had Tom Brady so freaked out in 2022 that he got rid of the ball faster than he ever had in his career. Since then, both guards and the center have been replaced, the right tackle moved to the left side and the left guard moved to right tackle. It's been a deliberate and - in terms of draft capital - costly process. The Bucs have used two first-round picks (Tristan Wirfs in 2020, Barton in 2024), two second-round picks (Goedeke in 2022, Cody Mauch in 2023) and one third-rounder (Hainsey in 2021) on offensive linemen. The group was supplemented with free agent Ben Bredeson, who was the most expensive (one year, $3 million) outsider added to the offense in the offseason. All that maneuvering seemed to hit a crescendo Sunday against the Saints. Mayfield, for the third time this year, threw three or more touchdowns with only one sack. The big difference was the running game, where Tucker and Bucky Irving combined for 217 yards and the Bucs, as a group, finished with 277 yards. That's the third-best mark in team history and the best since 2015. It also continues the reinvention of Tampa Bay's reputation as a running team. The Bucs had the worst ground game in the NFL in 2022-23 with an average of 82.8 yards per game and 3.4 yards per run. This season, they're averaging 136.8 yards a game and 5.3 yards per run. So are we ready to anoint this bunch as one of the best in the NFL? It might be a little early to go that far, but they could certainly use a little more love. John Romano, Tampa Bay Times, published 14 October 2024