The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had plenty of impressive performances in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, yet running back Kenneth Gainwell still isn’t getting the attention he deserves.

That’s okay, though. There’s plenty of time for that, and based on what we saw against Carolina, Gainwell’s name should come up a lot more often as the season rolls on.

Gainwell was a major part of the win, even if he didn’t make headlines like Bucky Irving did. He finished with 88 rushing yards on 14 carries, but the context behind that stat line is what matters, though, because Bucky Irving also handled 24 carries of his own, and the Bucs need to manage Irving’s workload wisely.

Gainwell turned those 14 handoffs into an effective day, which allowed Tampa Bay to take Irving off the field and give him the rest he needs to keep playing at the high level he’s been playing at.

Todd Bowles liked what he saw from Kenneth Gainwell

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles didn’t hold back when reporters asked about Gainwell’s performance on Monday.

“We finally saw it. You could see it yesterday,” said Bowles. “He went downhill and he got downhill in a hurry. He makes great cuts. He’s very tough. He’s very good at protecting the football as well. And he played a heck of a ball game yesterday. I thought all three of those running backs did a great job getting downhill and getting yardage.”

Those first three words jump off the page. Gainwell’s usage ahead of Week 7 has been hard to figure out, especially when considering the Bucs tabbed him as the 1B to Bucky Irving’s 1A during the offseason. Tampa Bay is also paying him solid money for a backup running back. Gainwell is making $7 million a year, so you’d figure the Buccaneers would want to use him more.

Sunday was a glimpse of what that looks like. Gainwell ran hard, hit the hole quickly, and gave the Bucs a reliable change of pace without a drop-off in production.

The Buccaneers need to lean on their strength

With Gainwell now in the mix, the Buccaneers can stick to their strength and run the ball even more often. While that means less snaps for Bucky Irving, that’s a good thing, because it keeps him fresh. Plus, the Bucs have more options to stick with the run with Gainwell playing like he did.

Baker Mayfield is coming back from his thumb injury, and the passing attack has dealt with inconsistencies overall. That’s why Gainwell should be able to provide a spark for the Bucs’ run game, one that keeps Tampa Bay committed to it. Frankly, that’s something the Buccaneers should have been doing all season long.

The Bucs need to run the ball about 25 to 30 times per game. It’s that simple. However, Irving doesn’t need to have 22 to 24 of those carries. The 10 to 12 need to go to Gainwell, and that’s fine.

No one is saying they need to rush it 49 times like they did against the Panthers. That’s overkill, and doing it every single week would be forcing the issue because every opponent is different. Still, Tampa Bay has three running backs it can trust, and the ground game has been the most consistent element of the offense.

Either way, the formula isn’t complicated. This offense needs to run the ball, and Gainwell can help it do just that, especially if he keeps playing like he did against Carolina.