By james art Irving rushed nine times for 23 yards with a touchdown and caught all three targets for 54 yards in the Buccaneers’ 41-31 loss to the Ravens on Monday night. Irving recorded one less carry than Rachaad White, but four more than Sean Tucker, as head coach Todd Bowles made good on his promise to give all three running backs opportunities. Irving was the only one of the trio to cross the goal line as a runner, recording his third rushing TD of the season from one yard out with just under four minutes remaining. Irving’s work as a pass catcher was also encouraging as he set a new career high in receiving yards. All three backs could be back in action in a Week 8 home game against the Falcons, especially with Chris Godwin (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring) likely out after suffering injuries during Monday night’s game .
Coach Todd Bowles said Thursday that Irving, Sean Tucker and Rachaad White (foot) will get playing time once White is healthy, reports Scott Smith of the Buccaneers’ official website. White’s absence in Week 6 opened the door for Irving’s first career start, and while the rookie responded with 105 total yards and a touchdown on 64 percent of the snaps, it was ultimately Tucker who stole the show with 192 yards and two scores on 38 carries. the percentage of pictures. White is probably still the best option for passing downs, meaning he’s unlikely to be sidelined completely once he recovers from his leg injury. Bowles used the term “hot hand” to describe his coaching staff’s backfield plan, which makes it difficult to set fantasy expectations for any of the players involved. A Week 7 matchup with Baltimore’s stout defense further complicates matters, though it could be just two players in the backfield on Monday, depending on how White progresses over the next few days.
Irving rushed 14 times for 81 yards and a touchdown and provided both targets for 24 yards in the Buccaneers’ 51-27 win over the Saints on Sunday. He also returned two kickoffs for 44 yards. Irving started the game as the No. 1 running back with Rachaad White (foot) inactive, and while he was ultimately overshadowed by the stellar performance of fellow back Sean Tucker, the rookie still had a productive performance. Irving’s carries and yardage totals were career highs, and he scored his second touchdown on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter. Irving will be in line to share backcourt duties again with either Tucker or White in the Week 7 home game against the Ravens on Monday night, Oct. 21.
Irving is slated to be the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback Sunday at New Orleans with Rachaad White (foot) sidelined, Greg Aumann of Fox Sports reports. That was more or less expected when Tampa Bay listed White as questionable for action in Week 6 on Friday’s injury report. With White out for at least one game, Irving will play in the backfield and could be in line for a breakout considering the fourth-round pick averaged 5.6 yards on his 44 carries through five races in his career so far. Sean Tucker and practice squad call-up DJ Williams are available for any RBs not going to Irving.
Irving is in line to lead the Buccaneers on Sunday in New Orleans with Rachaad White (foot) listed as questionable for the contest, SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Adam Kaplan reports. White managed just one limited session (Wednesday) this week as he tends to a leg injury, and while coach Todd Bowles called it a game-time decision on Friday, according to Greg Aumann of Fox Sports, White’s subsequent entry indicated that he tends to an inactive status. The Buccaneers have kickoff at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, so the situation should be cleared up about 90 minutes before then. Assuming White is included among the team’s inactives, Irving will start for the first time in his career and have the majority of the snaps out of Tampa Bay’s backcourt. In five games so far, Irving has averaged 5.6 yards on 44 carries, completed eight of 10 targets for 46 yards and scored one rushing touchdown.
Irving rushed nine times for 44 yards and scored on both targets for 12 yards in the Buccaneers’ 36-30 overtime loss to the Falcons on Thursday night. He also returned one kickoff 39 yards for a fumble. Irving registered one less carry than running back teammate Rachaad White, who gained 28 additional yards rushing and also had one more catch on the night. Also, Irving had a particularly ill-timed fumble on a seven-yard run with just under three minutes remaining, with Jesse Bates stripping the rookie of the ball as it looked like Tampa Bay could potentially move into position either to run out the clock, or at a minimum, add three points to a 30-27 lead. Despite the miscue, Irving did have another effective rushing performance, but with White also impressive averaging over 7.0 yards per carry, it looks like the two will continue in near-par time during a Week 6 road battle against the Saints on Sunday , October 13.
Irving rushed 10 times for 49 yards and a touchdown and caught one of two targets for six yards in the Buccaneers’ 33-16 win over the Eagles on Sunday. Irving and running back teammate Rachaad White curiously finished with an identical rush line, with the key exception being that Irving was the only one of the two to find the end zone. The rookie scored his first NFL touchdown on a one-yard scoring run just after midway through the third quarter, and he continued to show a welcome knack for efficiency. Sunday’s rushing load marked a new high for Irving as well, and it will be interesting to see how the ground game hierarchy shakes out in a Week 5 road battle against the Falcons on Thursday night.
Irving (hamstring) is active for Sunday’s Week 4 game against the Eagles, reports Scott Smith of the team’s official website. The rookie was able to practice just twice during the Week 4 preseason, and in a limited fashion. However, reports earlier Sunday indicated that Irving is in line to play and his active status is now official. The Oregon product has proven immediately effective at the NFL level, averaging a stellar 6.2 yards per carry through his first three games, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports that head coach Todd Bowles plans to continue using fellow running back Rachaad White , who is also active Sunday after dealing with a bout of food poisoning, and Irving together in much the same way they have been through the first three contests.
Irving (hamstring) is listed as questionable but is expected to play in Sunday’s game against the Eagles, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Irving was able to practice on a limited basis on Friday after sitting out Thursday’s practice. He faces an Eagles defense that is allowing 5.2 yards per carry this season, though they were more efficient in Week 3 against the Saints. Team-mate Rachaad White (illness) is also questionable but expected to play as well.