Tight end Cameron Brate left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' game on Saturday with a back injury, but not before he caught his eighth touchdown pass of the season. If Brate is able to play in the Buccaneers' season finale on Sunday, he'll have a shot at a franchise record and a notable NFL accomplishment.

In fact, Brate already tied the team's single-season standard for touchdown receptions by a tight end, matching the total Ring of Honor member Jimmie Giles put up in 2016. Brate and Giles are the only tight ends in franchise history to have more than five touchdowns in a season.

Most Touchdown Receptions, Single-Season, Tight Ends, Buccaneers

Player

Season

TDs

1t. Cameron Brate

2016

8

1t. Jimmie Giles

1985

8

3. Jimmie Giles

1979

7

4. Jimmie Giles

1981

6

5t. Calvin Magee

1986

5

5t. Dave Moore

1999

5

5t. Kellen Winslow

2009

5

5t. Kellen Winslow

2010

5

Brate also took over the NFL lead in scoring among tight ends with his eighth touchdown on Saturday. If he can hang onto that edge for one more week it will mark just the second time a Buccaneer player has led all NFL tight ends in TD catches; Giles also did it in his eight-touchdown campaign in 1985.

Most Touchdown Receptions, Tight Ends, NFL, 2016

Player

Team

TDs

1. Cameron Brate

Buccaneers

8

2t. Hunter Henry

Chargers

7

2t. Delanie Walker

Titans

7

4t. Martellus Bennett

Patriots

6

4t. Antonio Gates

Chargers

6

4t. Jimmy Graham

Seahawks

6

4t. Kyle Rudolph

Vikings

6

According to Statspass, Brate is just the fourth undrafted tight end in league history to have at least eight touchdown catches in a season. Future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates has met or exceeded that total eight times.

Most Touchdown Receptions, Single Season, Undrafted Tight Ends, NFL

Player

Team

Season

TDs

1. Antonio Gates

Chargers

2004

13

2. Antonio Gates

Chargers

2014

12

3. Paul Coffman

Packers

1983

11

4t. Antonio Gates

Chargers

2005

10

4t. Antonio Gates

Chargers

2010

10

6t. Paul Coffman

Packers

1984

9

6t. Antonio Gates

Chargers

2006

9

6t. Antonio Gates

Chargers

2007

9

9t. Cameron Brate

Buccaneers

2016

8

9t. Antonio Gates

Chargers

2009

8

9t. Antonio Gates

Chargers

2008

8

9t. Marcus Pollard

Colts

2001

8

Brate does not lead the Buccaneers in touchdown catches in 2016, however. That mark belongs to wide receiver Mike Evans, who caught his 11th scoring pass on Saturday, four days after learning that he had been selected to his first Pro Bowl. Evans, who set the team single-season record with 12 touchdown catches as a rookie in 2014, is the only player in franchise history with two seasons of 11 or more scoring grabs.

Most Touchdown Receptions, Single Season, Buccaneers

Player

Season

TDs

1. Mike Evans

2014

12

2t. Mike Evans

2016

11

2t. Mike Williams

2010

11

4. Joey Galloway

2005

10

four tied with…

9

Evans had three touchdowns in 2015, giving him 26 in his brief career. That's already tied for the 10th highest TD reception total a player has ever recorded in his first three NFL seasons.

Most Touchdown Receptions, First Three Seasons, NFL History

Player

Team(s)

Seasons

TDs

1. Randy Moss

MIN

1998-2000

43

2. Jerry Rice

SF

1985-87

40

3. Rob Gronkowski

NE

2010-12

38

4. John Jefferson

SD

1978-80

36

5. Odell Beckham, Jr.

NYG

2014-16

35

6. Daryl Turner

SEA

1984-86

30

7. A.J. Green

CIN

2011-13

29

8. Sammy White

MIN

1976-78

28

9. Dez Bryant

DAL

2010-12

27

10t. Mike Evans

TB

2014-16

26

10t. Isaac Curtis

CIN

1973-75

26

10t. Joey Galloway

SEA

1995-97

26

10t. Terrell Owens

SF

1996-98

26

10t. Andre Rison

IND/ATL

1989-91

26

Evans and Brate are just the second pair of Buccaneer teammates to each catch eight or more touchdown passes in the same season. Their 19 combined TD grabs are the most ever by a pair of Tampa Bay teammates.

Most Combined Touchdown Receptions, Buccaneer Teammates, Single Season

Season

Player

TDs

Player

TDs

Total

2016

Mike Evans

11

Cameron Brate

8

19

2012

Mike Williams

9

Vincent Jackson

8

17

2010

Mike Williams

11

Kellen Winslow

5

16

1981

Kevin House

9

Jimmie Giles

6

15

1988

Bruce Hill

9

Mark Carrier

5

14

1989

Mark Carrier

9

Bruce Hill

5

14

Evans led the Bucs with seven catches for 97 yards in Saturday's game at New Orleans to push his season stat line to 91-1,256-11. He joins Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown and the Giants' Odell Beckham as the only players to rank in the top five in the NFL in all three categories.

Most Receptions, NFL

Player

Team

Rec.

1. Antonio Brown

Steelers

106

2. Larry Fitzgerald

Cardinals

102

3. Odell Beckham, Jr.

Giants

96

4. Doug Baldwin

Seahawks

92

5t. Mike Evans

Buccaneers

91

5t. Jordy Nelson

Packers

91

Most Receiving Yards, NFL

Player

Team

Rec.

1. T.Y. Hilton

Colts

1,353

2. Odell Beckham, Jr.

Giants

1,323

3. Julio Jones

Falcons

1,313

4. Antonio Brown

Steelers

1,284

5. Mike Evans

Buccaneers

1,256

Most Receiving Touchdowns, NFL

Player

Team

Rec.

1. Jordy Nelson

Packers

14

2. Antonio Brown

Steelers

12

3. Mike Evans

Buccaneers

11

4t. Davante Adams

Packers

10

4t. Odell Beckham, Jr.

Giants

10

With his seven catches on Saturday, Evans moved into second place on the Buccaneers' single-season receptions list. He's unlikely to catch the team record in that category but has an outside shot at the receiving yardage standard, set by Mark Carrier in 1989. He would need 167 yards to grab that record, a number he has reached only once in a game in his three-year career, but he has hit 150 or better four different times.

Most Receiving Yards, Single Season, Buccaneers History

Player

Season

Rec.

1. Mark Carrier

1989

1,422

2. Vincent Jackson

2012

1,384

3. Joey Galloway

2005

1,287

4. Keyshawn Johnson

2001

1,266

5. Mike Evans

2016

1,256

Most Receptions, Single Season, Buccaneers History

Player

Season

Rec.

1. Keyshawn Johnson

2001

106

2. Mike Evans

2016

91

3. Mark Carrier

1989

86

4. James Wilder

1984

85

5. Keenan McCardell

2003

84

Evans is already the fifth player in NFL history to open his career with three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, as both he and Beckham this year joined a list that had included only A.J. Green, John Jefferson and Randy Moss. With one game left to play in 2016, he has the seventh-highest yardage total ever for a receiver in his first three seasons, with a realistic chance at bumping Hall of Famer Jerry Rice from the top five.

Most Receiving Yards, Player's First Three Seasons, NFL History

Player

Team(s)

Seasons

Yards

1. Randy Moss

MIN

1998-2000

4,163

2. Odell Beckham, Jr.

NYG

2014-16

4,078

3. A.J. Green

CIN

2011-13

3,833

4. Torry Holt

STL

1999-2001

3,786

5. Jerry Rice

SF

1985-87

3,575

6. DeAndre Hopkins

HOU

2013-15

3,533

7. Mike Evans

TB

2014-16

3,513

8. John Jefferson

SD

1978-80

3,431

9. Anquan Boldin

AZ

2003-05

3,402

10. Isaac Bruce

LA/STL

1994-96

3,391

Obviously, with Brate and Evans hauling in so many touchdown passes, quarterback Jameis Winston has to be faring well in the same category. In fact, his two scoring tosses on Saturday pushed his 2016 total to 27 to tie the franchise's single-season record. Winston will have a chance to break that mark in Sunday's season finale against Carolina, and he has thrown at least one TD pass in 13 of 15 games this season and 26 of 31 in his young career.
Most Touchdown Passes, Single Season, Buccaneers

Player

Season

TDs

1t. Jameis Winston

2016

27

1t. Josh Freeman

2012

27

3. Brad Johnson

2003

26

4. Josh Freeman

2010

25

5t. Brad Johnson

2003

22

5t. Jameis Winston

2015

22

Winston's rookie season is also in that list above, giving him 49 total touchdown passes through his first two NFL seasons, with one game to play. That's the fifth-highest total in NFL history.

Most Touchdown Passes, Player's First Two Seasons, NFL History

Player

Team

Seasons

TDs

1. Dan Marino

MIA

1983-84

68

2. Derek Carr

OAK

2014-15

53

3t. Peyton Manning

IND

1998-99

52

3t. Russell Wilson

SEA

2012-13

52

5. Jameis Winston

TB

2015-16

49

Most of the year we've discussed Winston's passing yardage total in terms of the "pace" he was on, per game, and how that would translate to an end-of-season total. Now, with one more game to play, it's simply a matter of what he does on Sunday, and he'll head into the game with a chance to break the Buccaneers' single-season record in that category, too. Winston has 3,888 passing yards, so he needs 155 yards to top his own mark from last season and 178 to set a new franchise standard. Winston had 277 passing yards on Saturday in New Orleans and he's averaged 259.2 per game this year. The Bucs' Week 17 opponent, Carolina, has allowed a league-high 290.6 gross passing yards per game this season.

Most Passing Yards, Single Season, Buccaneers

Player

Season

Yards

1. Josh Freeman

2012

4,065

2. Jameis Winston

2015

4,042

3. Jameis Winston

2016

3,888

4. Brad Johnson

2003

3,811

5. Josh Freeman

2011

3,592

Winston is on the verge of becoming the first quarterback in league history to open his season with two consecutive 4,000-yard seasons. He needs 70 yards on Sunday to accomplish that feat, and if he gets to 267 he will break the league record for most yards in a player's first two seasons.

Most Passing Yards, Player's First Two Seasons, NFL

Player

Team

Seasons

Yards

1. Andrew Luck

IND

2012-13

8,196

2. Jameis Winston

TB

2015-16

7,930

3. Cam Newton

CAR

2011-12

7,920

4. Peyton Manning

IND

1998-99

7,874

5. Blake Bortles

JAX

2014-15

7,336

**

Additional Stat Shots

• Linebacker Kwon Alexander led the Buccaneers with 10 tackles on Saturday, a week after setting a 2016 NFL single-game high with 21 stops in Dallas. Alexander has tallied 135 tackles this season, as compiled by Statspass using press box totals, which ranks fourth in the NFL. His 102 solo tackles lead the league.

Alexander is the only player in the NFL so far to crack triple digits in solo tackles, but that's not a particularly rare accomplishment for Buccaneer linebackers. Statspass has tackle totals compiled through the 1994 season and Alexander is the sixth Buccaneer to reach 100 solo stops in a year in that span. The others were Hardy Nickerson (once), Derrick Brooks (five times), Shelton Quarles (once), Barrett Ruud (twice) and Lavonte David (three times).

However, Alexander could become the first Buccaneer in a dozen years to lead the NFL in solo tackles in a season since that data became available in 1994.

Buccaneers Who Led the NFL in Solo Tackles in a Season, 1994-2016

Player

Season

ST

Derrick Brooks

1998

123

Derrick Brooks

2000

123

Derrick Brooks

2004

109

Kwon Alexander *

2016

102

( Through 15 games.)

- PunterBryan Anger has already broken one Buccaneer punting record in his first year with the team and merely needs to maintain his gross and net punting averages for one more game to break two more.

Anger dropped all three of his punts inside the 20 on Saturday in New Orleans, giving him 32 inside-the-20 boots this season, fifth most in the NFL and the most in a season in franchise history. He ranks fourth in the NFL with a 42.4-yard net average and his gross average is currently the best in Buc annals.

*Most Punts Downed Inside the 20, Season, Buccaneers History

Punter

Season

ST

1. Bryan Anger

2016

32

2t. Josh Bidwell

2007

30

2t. Tom Tupa

2002

30

4. Josh Bidwell

2008

27

5t. Mark Royals

2001

26

5t. Tom Tupa

2003

26

Best Net Punting Average, Season, Buccaneers History

Punter

Season

Net Avg.

1. Bryan Anger *

2016

42.4

2. Michael Koenen

2011

40.3

3. Michael Koenen

2013

38.3

4. Tommy Barnhardt

1996

37.8

5. Josh Bidwell

2008

37.6

( Through 15 games.)

Anger is not likely to lose more than two yards on his net average in one game, particularly since he's put up a net of 40 or better in all but three games so far this season. His hold on the gross punting average is a little more tenuous.

Best Gross Punting Average, Season, Buccaneers History

*

Punter

Season

Net Avg.

1. Bryan Anger

2016

45.9

2. Josh Bidwell

2005

45.6

3. Michael Koenen

2012

45.3

4. Michael Koenen

2011

45.1

5. Josh Bidwell

2008

44.5

• The Buccaneers converted seven of 12 third-down situations on offense in Saturday's game at New Orleans to raise their season average in that category to 44.6%. That's the sixth-highest success rate in the NFL this season and it's on pace to set a new single-season record for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have never even cracked 43% in a season before.

Best Third-Down Efficiency, Buccaneers, Single Season

Season

Made

Att.

Pct.

2016 *

90

202

44.6%

1984

94

219

42.9%

2010

89

211

42.2%

2015

84

202

41.6%

1989

95

230

41.3%

At the same time, the Buccaneers' defense has allowed the second-lowest third-down conversion rate in the NFL, at 35.0%. Tampa Bay and New England (fourth on both offense and defense) are the only teams in the NFL that rank in the top six in third-down efficiency on both offense and defense. The Buccaneers have the best differential in the NFL between their own third-down success rate and what they've allowed their opponents, and are one of only five teams that are even five percentage points better in that category.

Best Offensive-Defensive Third-Down Percentage Differential, NFL

Team

OFF

DEF

DIFF

Tampa Bay

44.6

35.0

9.6

New England

45.1

35.6

9.5

Tennessee

45.0

37.9

7.1

New Orleans

49.0

42.6

6.4

Green Bay

46.2

41.2

5.0