Sean Tucker doesn’t often get the opportunity he’s deserved as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The third-year player out of Syracuse has been used sporadically behind starter Bucky Irving and primary backup Rachaad White over the last two years.
However, on Sunday afternoon against Buffalo, Tucker was a bright spot in a dismal 44-32 loss. He put forth the kind of rushing performance that you don’t often see in the league, particularly from a backup. He totaled 106 rushing yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. He also added 34 receiving yards on two catches with another score. He ran with power, vision, and burst that had the look of a legit every down NFL running back.
The Bucs have now seen that kind of big performance twice in two years, and it’s time they adequately reward that performance with a bump up the depth chart.
Tucker gave fans a look at his potential last season against the New Orleans Saints. In the Bucs’ 51-27 win, Tucker ran wild, totaling 192 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. He ran 14 times for 136 yards and turned 3 catches into 56 yards and a score. The effort was good enough to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
However, Tucker went right back to the bench after the game and has logged double-digit touches just twice since. He had 12 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown in a 23-3 win over New Orleans last month before Sunday’s explosion against Buffalo.
Irivng will obviously take over as the team’s lead back upon his return, and he should, given his overall talent and penchant for explosive plays. I’m certainly not arguing against that. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea to rotate backs more to preserve their star and give defenses another running style to have to deal with.
And Tucker has shown that Todd Bowles and his staff should think long and hard about making Tucker that first player off the bench to spell Irving moving forward.
Getty
(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders extended their losing streak to four games with a 33-16 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on November 17 at Allegiant Stadium, adding another setback to their frustrating 2025 NFL season.
Moreover, the Raiders’ offense continues to struggle, as they have scored over 20 points only once in their last four games. The lone touchdown for the Silver and Black came in the fourth quarter, as most of the threatening drives they had ended in field goals.
Amid the offensive struggles during the losing streak, Brock Bowers was asked how the offense can snap out of its funk.
“[When] we get a first down, we just [need to] keep rolling, and we need to stay on track, not get ourselves backed up with penalties or negative plays,”
Bowers said after the loss about the Raiders’ struggling offense. “Just get some yards on first down, pick up more on second, and have a manageable third down at the end…
“We just have to stay together and keep fighting. We have players here who play good football, and sometimes it doesn’t feel reflected on the field. We just need to stick together and keep going.”
Against the Cowboys, the Raiders struggled to run the ball. However, that was a play-calling decision, as Las Vegas only gave rookie running back Ashton Jeanty six carries for seven rushing yards, with the team recording only 27 rushing yards on the night.
With the Raiders out of playoff contention, the focus should be on giving rookies valuable experience ahead of 2026. That hasn’t exactly happened.
After the loss, Jeanty addressed the limited opportunities in the running game under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and reflected on the difficulties he has faced this season.
“I don’t call the plays,” Jeanty told reporters. “I mean, that’s up to the guys upstairs. So I just take whatever I get… Just continue to trust in my faith, trust in God and his plan for me. Obviously it’s not going the way I want it to, but it’s already written, and whatever is in the future will happen, but I just got to continue to keep going and finish the year strong.”
When the Raiders picked Jeanty sixth overall in this year’s NFL Draft, many expected the rookie to play a bigger role than he has so far.
Following another questionable decision in play-calling, Ryan McFadden of ESPN didn’t hold back in criticizing Las Vegas. At the same time, he sought to understand why the Raiders had chosen this strategy against Dallas.
“Ashton Jeanty’s second carry of the night resulted in an 11-yard gain at the 13:29 mark of the second quarter,” McFadden wrote. “The rookie running back didn’t receive another handoff until the start of the third quarter. Jeanty had two carries in the first half and finished with six attempts for seven yards.
“The Raiders played from behind for the majority of the night, but their decision to abandon the run so early was questionable. That has been an issue for the majority of the season. At the same time, it might have been a sign of the Raiders’ lack of confidence in their banged-up offensive line.”