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Bucs' Offense Reaches New Heights

Data Crunch: While Tom Brady added another new accomplishment to his incredible career achievements, the Buccaneers offense as a whole had one of the best days in franchise history

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned in one of the most prolific offensive outings in the franchise's 46-season history in Week Five against Miami, and even if their final yardage and point totals weren't quite team records there were some new standards set both by the team and several individuals.

The Buccaneers beat the Dolphins, 45-17, in the process racking up 558 total net yards. That point total ties for the seventh highest in a single game in franchise history, while the yardage mark comes in fourth. It was, however, the most yards the Bucs have ever accumulated in a single home game.

Most Total Yards, Single Game, Franchise History

Table inside Article
Opponent Date Yards
at Detroit 12/26/20 588
at Cincinnati 10/26/18 576
at Minnesota 11/6/80 573
vs. Miami 10/10/21 558
at Carolina 11/15/20 544

The Buccaneers also racked up 33 first downs in Sunday's victory. That's tied with Tennessee (against Seattle in Week Two) for the most by any team in a single game this season, and it's also the most first downs the Bucs have ever recorded in a non-overtime game.

Most First Downs, Single Game, Franchise History

Table inside Article
Opponent Date FDs
vs. Cleveland (OT)* 10/21/18 34
vs. Miami 10/10/21 33
at N.Y. Giants 11/18/18 31
at Detroit 12/26/20 30
at Carolina 11/15/20 30
at Atlanta 10/14/18 30
vs. L.A. Rams 9/25/16 30
at St. Louis 12/17/15 30
vs. Atlanta (OT) 12/24/05 30
vs. Atlanta 9/13/87 30

(* The Buccaneers had 31 first downs in regulation.)

The Bucs were able to record so many first downs because they had five different drives that lasted eight plays or more, and that was possible because they converted on eight of 11 third-down tries. That's tied for the second-best third-down percentage the Bucs have managed since 1991. The team record is 87.5% (14 of 16) against Miami on Sept. 13, 1987.

Best Single-Game Third-Down Success Rate, Buccaneers, 1991-2021

Table inside Article
Opponent Date Made Att. Pct.
vs. Miami 9/21/97 7 9 77.8%
vs. Miami 10/10/21 8 11 72.7%
vs. Chicago 9/20/98 8 11 72.7%
vs. New Orleans 10/10/21 13 18 72.2%
vs. Atlanta 11/9/14 12 17 70.6%

Tom Brady directed that almost unstoppable Buccaneers attack on Sunday and in the process, incredibly, accomplished something he's never done before in 22 unparalleled seasons. Though he's thrown for more than 400 yards before and he's had games with five-plus touchdown passes, he's never before done both in the same game. It was his 12th game with 400-plus passing yards and his ninth with at least five touchdown passes. He is tied for fourth all-time in the former category and tied for second in the latter. Brady completed 31 of 40 passes for 411 yards and those five TDs, without tossing a pick, all of which added up to a 144.4 passer rating. Nobody in league history has finished more games with a passer rating greater of 140 or better.

Most Career 400-Yard Passing Games, NFL History

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team(s) 400-Yard Games
Drew Brees Chargers/Saints 16
Peyton Manning Colts/Broncos 14
Dan Marino Dolphins 13
Tom Brady Patriots/Buccaneers 12
Ben Roethlisberger Steelers 12

Most Career Games with Five-Plus Touchdown Passes

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team(s) 5+-TD Games
Drew Brees Chargers/Saints 11
Tom Brady Patriots/Buccaneers 9
Peyton Manning Colts/Broncos 9
Dan Marino Dolphins 6
Ben Roethlisberger Steelers 6

Most Career Games with 140+-Passer Rating

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team(s) 140+ Rating Games
Tom Brady Patriots/Buccaneers 22
Peyton Manning Colts/Broncos 21
Drew Brees Chargers/Saints 20
Aaron Rodgers Packers 17
Brett Favre Falcons/Packers/Jets/Vikings 13

Of course, every 400-yard passing game is also a 300-yard passing game, and every five-touchdown game is also a four-touchdown game. Only Drew Brees has hit that yardage mark or that touchdown mark in a game more often than Brady.

Most Career 300-Yard Passing Games, NFL History

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team(s) 300-Yard Games
Drew Brees Chargers/Saints 37
Tom Brady Patriots/Buccaneers 36
Peyton Manning Colts/Broncos 35
Aaron Rodgers Packers 31
Brett Favre Packers 23

Brady recorded his fourth consecutive game without an interception, and his only two picks thrown this year – both in a Week One win over Dallas – were on a Hail Mary attempt and a ball that bounced off Leonard Fournette's hands. Brady heads into Thursday's game in Philadelphia with an active streak of 203 consecutive passes without an interception. That is a new team record, breaking the mark he set just last year.

Most Consecutive Passes Without an Interception, Buccaneers History

Table inside Article
Quarterback Dates Passes
Tom Brady 9/9/20-Present 203
Tom Brady 10/4/20-11/8/20 199
Jeff Garcia 9/9/07-10/28/07 197
Brad Johnson 12/23/01-9/29/02 187
Trent Dilfer 10/12/97-11/30/97 152

Through the first five weeks of the season, Brady is atop the NFL chart in passing yards (1,767) and just one behind Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes in passing touchdowns (15). His passer rating of 108.5 ranks fifth.

Most Passing Yards, First Five Weeks, NFL 2021 Season

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team Yards
Tom Brady Buccaneers 1,767
Derek Carr Raiders 1,605
Matthew Stafford Rams 1,587
Justin Herbert Chargers 1,576
Kyler Murray Cardinals 1,512

Most Touchdown Passes, First Five Weeks, NFL 2021 Season

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team TD Passes
Patrick Mahomes Chiefs 16
Tom Brady Buccaneers 15
Justin Herbert Chargers 13
Dak Prescott Cowboys 13
Matthew Stafford Rams 12
Josh Allen Bills 12

Highest Passer Rating, First Five Weeks, NFL 2021 Season

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team Rating
Russell Wilson Seahawks 125.3
Dak Prescott Cowboys 116.9
Matthew Stafford Rams 113.2
Kyler Murray Cardinals 113.0
Tom Brady Buccaneers 108.5

One of Brady's five touchdown passes on Sunday was a 62-yarder to wide receiver Antonio Brown on which Brown gained 54.0 yards after the catch. Brown's dash away from the Dolphin defenders turned the play into Brady's longest completion since joining the Buccaneers and Brown's longest reception since joining the team. It was on Brown's first catch of the game, a 10-yarder with three minutes left in the first quarter, that the veteran receiver made NFL history. That was his 900th career regular-season reception, and no player in league history has ever gotten to that mark in fewer games.

Fewest Games to Reach 900 Receptions, NFL History

Table inside Article
Player Teams Games
Antonio Brown Steelers/Patriots/Bucs 143
Marvin Harrison Colts 149
Andre Johnson Texans/Colts/Titans 150

Brown recorded his second two-touchdown game of this season, as he also scored twice against Atlanta in Week Two. Since he entered the league in 2010, Brown is tied for the most games with multiple touchdown receptions, and the only player who has matched him is currently a Buccaneers teammate.

Most Games with Multiple TD Receptions, 2010-21

Table inside Article
Player Teams Games
Antonio Brown Steelers/Patriots/Bucs 19
Rob Gronkowski Patriots/Buccaneers 19
Jimmy Graham Saints/Seahawks/Packers/Bears 15
Dez Bryant Cowboys/Ravens 15
Calvin Johnson Lions 15
Jordy Nelson Packers/Raiders 15

Most Consecutive Games Played with a Reception, Active Streak, NFL

1. Antonio Brown, Buccaneers…141

2t. DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals…130

2t. Julio Jones, Titans…130

Wide receiver Mike Evans also topped 100 yards on Sunday, with 113 on six receptions. That is the 30th 100-yard game of his career, by far a franchise record. He also joined Brown in finding the end zone twice, giving him 14 career games with multiple touchdown catches. Since Evans first joined the Buccaneers in 2014, he ranks fourth in the NFL in 100-yard receiving games and second in multi-TD games. One of the players above him on both lists in that time span is a familiar name.

Most 100-Yard Receiving Games, NFL, 2014-21

Table inside Article
Player Teams Games
Julio Jones Falcons/Titans 47
Antonio Brown Steelers/Patriots/Buccaneers 37
DeAndre Hopkins Texans/Cardinals 36
Mike Evans Buccaneers 30
Travis Kelce Chiefs 27

Most Games with Multiple Touchdown Receptions, NFL, 2014-21

Table inside Article
Player Teams Games
Antonio Brown Steelers/Patriots/Buccaneers 16
Mike Evans Buccaneers 14
Davante Adams Packers 13
Odell Beckham Giants/Browns 12
Tyreek Hill Chiefs 11
DeAndre Hopkins Texans/Cardinals 11

Wide receiver Chris Godwin matched Brown with seven receptions on Sunday, picking up 70 total yards. Already seventh in franchise history with 3,906 yards, Godwin has now moved into the team's all-time top 10 in receptions, as well. With 273 catches, Godwin has passed Vincent Jackson (268) and is just six behind Jimmie Giles (279) for the ninth spot. Godwin is also likely to move up to sixth on the yardage list on Thursday night as he'll come in just six yards behind Joey Galloway (3,912).

As Head Coach Bruce Arians said after Sunday's game, the offense led the way, but the defense also managed to hold Miami to 17 points, tying the previous week's win at New England for the fewest points the Bucs have allowed this year. Once again, one of the best elements of Tampa Bay's defensive performance was stopping the run, as Miami got just 39 yards on nine carries. Since the arrival of Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles in 2019, the Buccaneers have recorded the most games in which they held their opponent below 100 rushing yards. They are also tied for the most games in which they held their opponent below 50 rushing yards.

Most Games Holding Opponents Below 100 Rushing Yards, NFL, 2019-21

1. Tampa Bay…30

2. New Orleans…24

3. Indianapolis…21

4t. Buffalo…19

4t. L.A. Rams…19

Most Games Holding Opponents Below 50 Rushing Yards, NFL, 2019-21

1. Tampa Bay…11

2. New Orleans…11

3. L.A. Rams…7

4t. Carolina…6

4t. Indianapolis…6

4t. N.Y. Jets…6

The Buccaneers' defense also secured two takeaways against Miami, the first on a sack and forced fumble by Shaquil Barrett shortly before halftime and the second on an interception by Jamel Dean in the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay has the third-most takeaways in the NFL since Bowles's arrival.

Most Takeaways, NFL Teams, 2019-21

1. Pittsburgh…69

2. New England…64

3. Tampa Bay…61

4. Buffalo…60

5t. New Orleans…59

5t. Seattle…59

Barrett got the ball away from Miami quarterback Jacoby Brissett by looping behind him and swatting at the ball as Brissett cocked his arm to throw. That was the ninth time that Barrett has executed the classic "strip-sack" since he joined the Buccaneers in 2019, and no one has done it more often in the NFL in that span.

Table inside Article
Player Team Strip-Sack
Shaquil Barrett Buccaneers 9
Chandler Jones Cardinals 9
T.J. Watt Pittsburgh 8
Yannick Ngakoue Four teams* 7

(* Ngakoue has played for the Jaguars, Vikings, Ravens and Raiders over the past three seasons.)

Barrett's 1.5 sacks on Sunday give him 3.5 on the season. He remains in second on the list of most sacks in the NFL since the start of the 2019 season but moved closer to the top mark with that effort against the Dolphins.

Most Sacks, NFL, 2019-21

Table inside Article
Player Team Sacks
T.J. Watt Pittsburgh 34.5
Shaquil Barrett Tampa Bay 31.0
Aaron Donald L.A. Rams 29.0
Myles Garrett Cleveland 28.0
Za'Darius Smith Green Bay 26.0

Barrett also passed his teammate, Jason Pierre-Paul, on the Bucs' all-time sack list.

Most Sacks, Buccaneers History

Table inside Article
Player Seasons Sacks
Lee Roy Selmon 1976-84 78.5
Warren Sapp 1995-2003 77.0
Simeon Rice 2001-06 69.5
Gerald McCoy 2010-18 54.5
David Logan 1979-86 39.0
Chidi Ahanotu 1993-2000; 04 34.5
Brad Culpepper 1994-99 33.0
Shaquil Barrett 2019-21 31.0
Jason Pierre-Paul 2018-21 30.5
Shaquil Barrett 2019-21 29.5
Ronde Barber 1997-2012 28.0

The Buccaneers won the turnover battle against Miami, 2-0, marking the third straight game in which Tampa Bay has not committed a turnover. That is tied for the longest streak in team history. The Bucs first set that team record last season when they committed zero turnovers in consecutive December games against Minnesota, Atlanta and Detroit.

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