We were very pleased with his two touchdown performance
Syracuse Orange fans got to see Sean Tucker tear up the Dome turf many times during his SU tenure. The now-#44 has been waiting for his chance to prove he belongs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it finally came on Sunday.
He did not disappoint.
Tucker dominated the New Orleans Saints’ defense, rushing for 136 yards on 14 carries (9.7 AVG) and also catching three passes for 56 yards. The afternoon also included the first two touchdowns of his NFL career – the first being this 36-yard grab-and-go:
The first TD for @seantucker2020
: #TBvsNO on FOX pic.twitter.com/yK7Dl8ADPI
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 13, 2024
Tucker would also add a five-yard rushing TD late in the 4th quarter as the Bucs went on to rout their NFC South rivals 51-27.
Sean had 17 games in college where he rushed for at least 100 yards, and he racked up totals of 1,496 yards on the ground in 2021 and 1,060 in 2022. A nagging injury prevented him from participating in the 2023 Draft Combine, which ended up tanking his stock.
Fortunately, Tucker found a beneficial situation in Tampa Bay. They had not established a long-term RB1, and Tucker was given proper time to rehab and build up his strength while adjusting to the added rigor of the league.
Now in his sophomore season, Tucker began the year on the special teams unit, primarily fielding kickoffs. But opportunity came knocking when the team’s 2023 leading rusher, Rashaad White, was ruled out with a foot injury. That opened up a spot in the backfield for Sean to split carries with rookie Bucky Irving.
Both guys got 14 touches on the afternoon, but it was Tucker who got more out of his.
Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Neither White nor Irving has a 100-yard game this season, and Tucker’s total from today eclipses White’s career-high of 105 (2022 Week 10 v. Seattle). That combined with his elusiveness in the open field makes Tucker a strong candidate to stay involved with the offense in the coming weeks.
We’ll see if Tucker can put on an encore next Monday when the 4-2 Bucs host Baltimore.