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Chris Godwin Stakes Out Place in Bucs Franchise History

Data Crunch: Chris Godwin broke the Buccaneers' single-game catch record on Sunday and in the process climbed up several other franchise lists…Plus, the Tommy & Gronky Show rolls on

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Two of the three leading pass-catchers in franchise history are currently on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' active roster, and neither is close to finished.

Wide receiver Chris Godwin went into Sunday's game at Atlanta needing 11 receptions to pass Mark Carrier for third place on the team's all-time receptions list, where he would be behind only running back James Wilder and teammate Mike Evans. Given that Godwin had only once hit 11 or more catches in his first 69 NFL games, it didn't seem likely he would make that move in Week 13. Well, he did. Not only did Godwin pass Mark Carrier to take over the third spot, he put a little distance between himself and fourth place.

Most Receptions, Buccaneers History

Table inside Article
Rk. Player Seasons Recs.
1. Mike Evans 2014-21 589
2. James Wilder 1981-89 430
3. Chris Godwin 2017-21 326
4. Mark Carrier 1987-92 321
5. Warrick Dunn 1997-2001; 08 306
6. Mike Alstott 1996-2006 35
7. Keyshawn Johnson 2000-03 298
8. Kevin House 1980-86 286
9. Michael Pittman 2002-07 284
10. Jimmie GIles 1978-86 279

Godwin only needed 11 catches to pass Carrier but he didn't stop there. In fact, he didn't stop until he had set a new bar in franchise history for receptions in a single game. Godwin's 15 catches were two more than any Buccaneer had ever had in a game before, and three more than any Tampa Bay wide receiver had ever hauled in.

Most Receptions, Single Game, Buccaneers History

Table inside Article
Player Pos. Opp. Date Recs.
Chris Godwin WR at Atlanta 12/5/2021 15
Earnest Graham RB at Detroit 10/21/2007 13
James Wilder RB Minnesota 9/15/1985 13
Mike Evans WR at Seattle 11/3/2019 12
Chris Godwin WR at L.A. Rams 9/29/2019 12
Warrick Dunn RB Chicago 11/18/2001 12
Keyshawn Johnson WR Chicago 11/18/2021 12

Godwin's 15 catches resulted in a game-high 143 receiving yards, marking the 15th 100-yard game of his career. Only Mike Evans has done that more often as a Buccaneer.

Most 100-Yard Receiving Games, Buccaneers History

Table inside Article
Player Seasons 100-Yd. Games
Mike Evans 2014-21 30
Chris Godwin 2017-21 15
Mark Carrier 1987-92 15
Kevin House 1980-86 14
Vincent Jackson 2012-16 13

Godwin's 15 catches took him all over the Mercedes-Benz turf on Sunday, but the one place he didn't visit was the end zone. Meanwhile, tight end Cameron Brate only had one catch for three yards in the contest, but it did go for a touchdown. That allowed Brate to break a tie with Godwin on the team's all-time touchdowns list and move into a tie with Kevin House for fifth place on that chart. Brate is also tied for third in team history in touchdown receptions, trailing only Evans and Jimmie Giles.

Most Total Touchdowns, Buccaneers History

Table inside Article
Player Pos. Seasons TDs
Mike Evans WR 2014-21 72
Mike Alstott FB 1996-2006 71
James Wilder RB 1981-89 46
Jimmie Giles TE 1978-86 34
Cameron Brate TE 2014-21 31
Kevin House WR 1980-86 31
Chris Godwin WR 2017-21 30
Joey Galloway WR 2004-08 29
Warrick Dunn RB 1997-2001;08 28
Doug Martin RB 2012-17 28

Three of the Bucs' four touchdown receptions on Sunday ended up in the hands of tight ends, as Rob Gronkowski had his third two-touchdown outing of the season. Gronkowski got free for a 27-yard catch-and-run score in the second quarter then doubled up with a pretty back-corner fade for another 11-yard TD in the third period. That was the 20th multi-touchdown game of Gronkowski's career, and only one tight end has ever done that more in NFL history.

Most Multi-TD Games, Tight End, NFL History

Table inside Article
Player Team(s) Games
Antonio Gates Chargers 21
Rob Gronkowski Patriots/Buccaneers 20
Tony Gonzalez Chiefs/Falcons 18
Jimmy Graham Saints/Seahawks/Paackers/Bears 17

Gronkowski's second touchdown on Sunday was the 93rd in the regular season in his career, which began in New England in 2010. In that span, Gronkowski has led all NFL players in touchdowns, even while sitting out the 2019 season in a short-lived retirement.

Most Touchdowns, NFL, 2010-21

Table inside Article
Player Team(s) Games
Rob Gronkowski Patriots/Buccaneers 93
LeSean McCoy Eagles/Bills/Chiefs/Buccaneers 85
Jimmy Graham Saints/Seahawks/Packers/Bears 84
Adrian Peterson 7 teams* 84
Antonio Brown Steelers/Patriots/Buccaneers 83

(* Peterson has played for the Vikings, Saints, Cardinals, Football Team, Lions, Titans and Seahawks.)

Gronkowski's two touchdown passes originated in the hand of Tom Brady, as almost all the scores in his illustrious career have. In fact, Brady and Gronkowski now form the second-most prolific touchdown pass duo in NFL history. Those two have hooked up for 90 scores in the regular season as the "Tommy & Gronky" show rolls on.

Most Touchdown Pass Connections for a Pair of Teammates, NFL History

Table inside Article
Quarterback Pass Catcher Team(s) TDs
Peyton Manning Marvin Harrison Colts 112
Tom Brady Rob Gronkowski Patriots/Buccaneers 90
Phillip Rivers Antonio Gates Chargers 89

Brady also threw a touchdown pass to running back Leonard Fournette for the second game in a row, giving him a total of four scoring tosses in the game, and nine in two contests against the Falcons this season. That marks the 39th time that Brady has thrown four or more touchdown passes in a single game, including the sixth time this year. That's already tied for the fourth-most games with four-plus TD passes in a season in NFL history.

Most Games with Four-Plus Touchdown Passes, NFL History

Table inside Article
Player Team(s) Games
Tom Brady Patriots/Buccaneers 39
Drew Brees Chargers/Saints 37
Peyton Manning Colts/Broncos 35
Aaron Rodgers Packers 32
Brett Favre Packers 23

Most Games with Four-Plus Touchdown Passes, Single Season, NFL History

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team Season Games
Peyton Manning Broncos 2013 9
Patrick Mahomes Chiefs 2018 7
Aaron Rodgers Packers 2020 7
Tom Brady Buccaneers 2021 6
Peyton Manning Colts 2004 6
Dan Marino Dolphins 1984 6

Brady's four touchdowns against the Falcons on Sunday pushed his season total to 34, which is the second-highest single season mark in franchise annals.

Most Touchdown Passes, Single Season, Buccaneers History

Table inside Article
Quarterback Season TD Passes
Tom Brady 2020 40
Tom Brady 2021 34
Jameis Winston 2019 33
Jameis Winston 2016 28
Josh Freeman 2017 27

Despite playing less than two seasons so far in the red and pewter, Brady is already advancing rapidly up the team's career passing charts. On Sunday, he jumped up one spot on the Bucs' all-time touchdown pass list, and he is likely to be in second by the end of the regular season.

Most Career Touchdown Passes, Buccaneers History

Table inside Article
Quarterback Seasons TD Passes
Jameis Winston 2015-19 121
Josh Freeman 2009-13 80
Vinny Testaverde 1987-92 77
Tom Brady 2020-21 74
Doug Williams 1978-82 73

Brady also padded his NFL lead in touchdown passes in 2021. He is already the oldest player ever to lead the NFL in touchdown passes in a season, with his 36 in 2015 at the age of 38. Brady also came into the weekend ranked second in the NFL in passing yards but is now the leader in that category after his 368-yard outing in Atlanta

2021 NFL Leaders in Touchdown Passes

Table inside Article
Player Team TD Passes
Tom Brady Buccaneers 34
Matthew Stafford Rams 30
Justin Herbert Chargers 27
Kirk Cousins Vikings 27
Josh Allen* Bills 27
Patrick Mahomes Chiefs 27

(* Allen and the Bills play on Monday night.)

2021 NFL Leaders in Passing Yardage

Table inside Article
Player Team Passing Yards
Tom Brady Buccaneers 3,771
Derek Carr Raiders 3,663
Matthew Stafford Rams 3,611
Justin Herbert Chargers 3,547
Patrick Mahomes Chiefs 3,384

Most Touchdown Passes Through First 11 Games of a Season, Bucs History

Table inside Article
Player Season Yards
Tom Brady 2021 3,403
Jameis Winston 2019 3,391
Tom Brady 2020 2,955
Jameis Winston 2016 2,900
Brad Johnson 2003 2,763

Brady's four touchdown passes came in the service of a 30-17 win in Atlanta, giving the Bucs a season sweep of their division rivals. This marks the first time that Tampa Bay has recorded two consecutive season sweeps of the Falcons since the NFC South was formed in 2002. It's likely not a coincidence that this first-team feat has occurred since the arrival of Tom Brady.

With the win on Sunday, Brady remained undefeated in 10 meetings against the Falcons, six of those with New England and four with Tampa Bay. That includes the famous Super Bowl LI, in which the Patriots came back from a 28-3 second-half deficit to beat Atlanta in overtime, 34-28. Brady has more career wins against the Falcons than the following nine teams: Chargers, Jaguars, Texans, Ravens, Jets, Bills, Raiders, Chiefs and Titans.

Brady's overall numbers against Atlanta are remarkable.

Tom Brady vs. the Falcons

Record as a Starter: 10-0

Passing Yards Per Game: 334.1

Touchdowns-Interceptions: 28-4

Passer Rating: 113.9

Brady's latest downing of the Falcons made him just the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to reach double-digit wins against another NFL franchise without suffering a loss.

Most Wins by a Starting Quarterback Without a Loss, Super Bowl Era

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team(s) Opponent W-L
John Elway Broncos Patriots 11-0
Andrew Luck Colts Titans 11-0
Tom Brady Patriots/Buccaneers Falcons 10-0

Brady's career passer rating against the Falcons is the third best in NFL history by a quarterback against a single opponent, with a minimum of 250 pass attempts required. Amazingly, the top three are all against Atlanta.

Highest Career Passer Rating Against a Single Opponent, NFL History (min. 250 pass attempts)

Table inside Article
Quarterback Team(s) Opponent Rating
Aaron Rodgers Packers Falcons 115.4
Kurt Warner Rams/Giants/Cardinals Falcons 114.2
Tom Brady Patriots/Buccaneers Falcons 113.9
Tom Brady Patriots/Buccaneers Jaguars 113.1

Before we finish, let's give the Buccaneers' offensive line some respect for making all of the above offensive accomplishments possible on Sunday. Despite dropping back a whopping 51 times against the Falcons, Brady was not sacked and was only hit one time. That's the fifth time in 12 outings this year that Brady has enjoyed a sack-free outing. Since Brady arrived in Tampa in 2020, he has started 28 regular-season games and has escaped 10 of them without being sacked. That's easily the most sack shutouts pitched by any NFL offensive line in that span.

Most Games Allowing Zero Sacks, NFL Teams, 2020-21

1. Tampa Bay: 10

2. Pittsburgh: 7

3t. Buffalo: 6

3t. Kansas City: 6

5t. Five teams tied with: 5

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