The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2023 season came to an end on Sunday with a hard-fought 31-23 Divisional Round defeat in Detroit. The Buccaneers joined Buffalo and Kansas City as the only three teams in the NFL to make the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, and Tampa Bay made it to at least the Divisional Round in three of those four years.
This marks the second time in franchise history that the Bucs qualified for the postseason in four straight seasons (also 1999-2002), and each of those runs included a Super Bowl victory. The Buccaneers' all-time record in the playoffs is now 12-12, including 6-3 over the last four years.
Tampa Bay outgained the Lions with 408 net yards to Detroit's 391, surpassing the 400-yard mark in a playoff game for just the third time in franchise history but the second time this month.
Most Net Yards, Playoff Game, Buccaneers History
| Playoff Round | Opponent | Date | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Wild Card | Washington | 1/9/21 | 507 |
| 2023 Wild Card | Philadelphia | 1/15/24 | 426 |
| 2024 Divisional | Detroit | 1/21/24 | 408 |
| 2022 Wild Card | Dallas | 1/16/23 | 386 |
| 2002 Super Bowl | Oakland | 1/26/03 | 365 |
The Buccaneers had 319 net passing yards on the afternoon, their third-highest total in a playoff game. Quarterback Baker Mayfield had a second straight prolific outing, completing 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Against Philadelphia in the Wild Card round, Mayfield became the first Tampa Bay passer ever to throw for 300-plus yards and at least three touchdowns in a playoff game, and he duplicated that feat in Detroit. Mayfield's first two playoff games as a Buccaneer produced two of the four highest passing yardage totals in the team's postseason history.
Most Passing Yards, Playoff Game, Buccaneers History
| Quarterback | Playoff Round | Opponent | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | 2020 Wild Card | Washington | 381 |
| Tom Brady | 2022 Wild Card | Dallas | 351 |
| Baker Mayfield | 2024 Divisional | Detroit | 349 |
| Baker Mayfield | 2023 Wild Card | Philadelphia | 337 |
| Tom Brady | 2021 Divisional | L.A. Rams | 329 |
Mayfield's final passer rating for the 2023 playoffs is 106.3, based on a 62.3% completion rate, 8.9 yards per attempt and 6-2 TD-INT ratio. That's the highest passer rating by any quarterback with at least 25 attempts in Bucs postseason history. His yards per attempt (8.9) and touchdown percentage (7.8%) are also new team postseason records.
Highest Career Passer Rating, Buccaneers Postseason History (min. 25 attempts)
- Baker Mayfield: 106.3
- Tom Brady: 89.8
- Brad Johnson: 66.5
- Jeff Garcia: 60.5
- Chris Simms: 56.7
Mayfield also started two playoff games for the Cleveland Browns after the 2020 season and he now owns an overall career postseason passer rating of 100.4. That ranks fourth among all active NFL quarterbacks who have started at least three playoff games.
Highest Career Postseason Passer Rating, Active NFL Quarterbacks (min. 3 games)
| Quarterback | Team(s) | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs | 106.7 |
| Matthew Stafford | Lions/Rams | 101.7 |
| Brock Purdy | 49ers | 101.0 |
| Baker Mayfield | Browns/Buccaneers | 100.4 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Packers | 100.1 |
Most Career Touchdown Passes, Buccaneers Postseason History
- Tom Brady: 15
- Baker Mayfield: 6
- Brad Johnson: 5
Wide receiver Mike Evans was Mayfield's favorite target in Detroit, with 12 passes thrown his way resulting in eight catches for 147 yards. Evans' yardage total established a new franchise postseason record and gave him his fourth career 100-yard outing in the playoffs. Those four games also double as the top four on the Bucs' all-time single-game list.
Most Receiving Yards, Playoff Game, Buccaneers History
| Player | Playoff Round | Opponent | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Evans | 2023 Divisional | Detroit | 147 |
| Mike Evans | 2020 Wild Card | Washington | 119 |
| Mike Evans | 2022 Divisional | L.A. Rams | 119 |
| Mike Evans | 2021 Wild Card | Philadelphia | 117 |
| Chris Godwin | 2020 NFCC | Green Bay | 110 |
Evans was already the franchise's all-time leader in postseason receiving yards, but with his performance on Sunday he also took over the top spot in yards from scrimmage.
Most Yards From Scrimmage, Buccaneers Postseason History
- Mike Evans: 709
- Leonard Fournette: 572
- Mike Alstott: 502
- Chris Godwin: 408
- Warrick Dunn: 387
Most Postseason Receptions, Buccaneers History
- Mike Evans: 37
- Chris Godwin: 30
- Leonard Fournette: 28
- Warrick Dunn: 26
- Keyshawn Johnson: 23
Tight end Cade Otton was second on the team with five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown against the Lions. Including his eight-catch, 89-yard outing against the Eagles in the Wild Card round, Otton finished the 2023 postseason with 154 receiving yards. That's the second highest total in a single postseason by a tight end in Buccaneers history.
| Tight End | Season | Games | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Brate | 2020 | 4 | 175 |
| Cade Otton | 2023 | 2 | 154 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 2021 | 2 | 116 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 2020 | 4 | 110 |
| Jimmie Giles | 1981 | 1 | 98 |
Running back Rachaad White added 91 yards from scrimmage, running nine times for 55 yards and catching four passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. White averaged 6.1 yards per carry and the Bucs' rushing attack as a whole averaged 5.9 yards per tote. That's the best single-game rushing average for a Buccaneers team in postseason annals.
Linebacker Lavonte David led the Bucs' defense with 13 tackles and added a sack and two tackles for loss. David is the first player in franchise playoff history to record at least 10 tackles and a sack in a single game. David also moved into second place on the Bucs' career playoff tackle list, behind only Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks.
Most Career Tackles, Buccaneers Postseason History
1. Derrick Brooks: 90
2. Lavonte David: 71
3. Devin White: 59
4. Shelton Quarles: 55
5t. Jamel Dean: 46
5t. John Lynch: 46
Rookie defensive lineman Calijah Kancey recorded the Bucs' other sack of Jared Goff, giving him 1.5 sacks in his first postseason. Kancey is the first Tampa Bay rookie to record a full sack in a playoff game since Gaines Adams in 2008.
Punter Jake Camarda kicked four times, compiling a gross average of 51.3 yards and a net of 42.3, with two punts downed inside the 20. Camarda's 66-yard boot in the second quarter is the longest punt in Buccaneers postseason history.
