The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fresh off a thrilling victory over the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. The Bucs were able to score the go ahead touchdown with just six seconds left in the game and they squeaked out a one point victory. It was honestly one of the most exciting games I can recall as a fan.
In a game like this, there are so many players to highlight that made it all happen. Baker Mayfield for putting together a clutch final drive and throwing a pair of touchdown passes on the night. Rachaad White had the game winning touchdown and several big runs. Bucky Irving ran the ball very well too in a game where yards were hard to come by.
However, there was one guy who flew under the radar in this game who quietly played a critical role. An buried treasure who made a massive difference in this game. That’s why he is this week’s Buccaneers’ Unsung Hero.
Cody Mauch, UnsungÂ
That man was right guard Cody Mauch. The 48th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft is now in his third season with the Bucs. In that time he has gone from division two left tackle to one of the better guards in the NFL.
While his development hasn’t happened over night, we have steadily seen Mauch improve over the last few years. Towards the back half of last season he really found consistency as an upper level player. Last night, we saw him take command of the offensive line.Â
The Buccaneers offensive line has been riddled with injuries this year. Star left tackle Tristian Wirfs is recovering from offseason knee surgery and has only recently started practicing. As a result, starting center Graham Barton has kicked out to left tackle (where he played in college) and starting left guard Ben Bredeson shifted inside to center while backup Michael Jordan came off the bench to play left guard.
That is a lot of shifting along the offensive line. Even worse, starting right tackle Luke Goedeke went down with a foot injury in the Monday night win. This left Mauch as the only starting offensive lineman who was playing in his actual position.
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It feels like a big ask for Mauch to be the stabilizing force on the line. This time last year we were wondering if he would develop in year two after an up and down rookie season. Now he has been forced to be the veteran presence in his third year playing his position.
Fortunately, Mauch was up to the task. The offensive line paved the way to a nearly 170 rushing yard game with a 5.6 yard per carry average. And on the biggest play, it was literally Mauch leading the way.
Mauch was one of the lead blockers on the Emeka Egbuka touchdown, to the point where Egbuka basically tumbled over Mauch into the end zone. This was a point where the Bucs took the lead and it felt like momentum shifted in their favor.
It feels like no coincidence that the team ran towards Mauch for the game winning touchdown. He was able to get out into space and clip just enough of the linebacker to allow Rachaad White to score with six seconds left in the game. You could say that he paved the way for this Bucs win.
On top of all that, he was the brains up front. On the road in a loud environment it was up to Mauch to help the offensive line be on the same page and signal the silent count. All things considered, it was a very clean game in terms of procedural penalties up front.Â
Mauch’s development was on full display in this game. From division two project to leader along the offensive line. Make no mistake, the Bucs don’t win this game without Cody Mauch.
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