As you probably heard, a wide receiver overtook all-time Tampa Bay Buccaneers great Mike Alstott on one of the team's career statistical lists on Monday night. And yes, it's true, Chris Godwin is now above Alstott (not to mention his Thunder & Lightning partner Warrick Dunn) on the franchise's all-time receptions chart.
You were expecting a nod to Mike Evans, no? Yes, Evans broke Alstott's franchise touchdown record in Monday night's win over the New York Giants, and gave a respectful nod to the 'A-Train' after the game. We'll get to that in a bit, but the more under-the-radar move into rarified franchise air was made by Godwin, who has quietly been stalking the team's legends all season.
With six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown on Monday night, Godwin made like the Price is Right cliffhanger game and yodeled his way up three different top-10 lists in the Bucs' record books. First, as noted above, he passed both Alstott and Dunn on the all-time receptions list. Only Evans, James Wilder and Mark Carrier remain ahead of Godwin, and he's going to catch Carrier very soon.
Most Receptions, Buccaneers History
| Rk. | Player | Season | Recs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mike Evans | 2014-21 | 579 |
| 2. | James Wilder | 1981-89 | 430 |
| 3. | Mark Carrier | 1987-92 | 321 |
| 4. | Chris Godwin | 2017-21 | 307 |
| 5. | Warrick Dunn | 1997-2001; 08 | 306 |
| 6. | Mike Alstott | 1996-2006 | 306 |
| 7. | Keyshawn Johnson | 2000-03 | 298 |
| 8. | Kevin House | 1980-86 | 286 |
| 9. | Michael Pittman | 2002-07 | 284 |
| 10. | Jimmie Giles | 1978-86 | 279 |
Then there's the yardage list. While Evans continues to pad his lead in every receiving category in franchise history, Godwin is reeling in some of the other greatest players in franchise history. In this case, he jumped over Ring of Honor member Jimmie Giles and came within a few yards of Vincent Jackson for fourth place.
Most Receiving Yards, Buccaneers History
| Rk. | Player | Seasons | Recs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mike Evans | 2014-21 | 8,945 |
| 2. | Mark Carrier | 1987-92 | 5,018 |
| 3. | Kevin House | 1980-86 | 4,928 |
| 4. | Vincent Jackson | 2012-16 | 4,326 |
| 5. | Chris Godwin | 2017-21 | 4,322 |
| 6. | Jimmie Giles | 1978-87 | 4,300 |
| 7. | Joey Galloway | 2004-08 | 3,912 |
| 8. | Keyshawn Johnson | 2000-03 | 3,828 |
| 9. | James Wilder | 1981-89 | 3,492 |
| 10. | Gerald Carter | 1980-87 | 3,443 |
Godwin capped Tampa Bay's opening possession on Monday night with a 13-yard touchdown catch-and-run, giving him 30 total scores in his career (29 receiving, one rushing). Tight end Cameron Brate had pulled out of a tie with Godwin on that list with a Week 10 touchdown at Washington, but now the two are knotted again, sharing sixth place in team history. And yes, this is also where we repeat that Mike Evans topped Mike Alstott on Monday to become the franchise's all-time touchdowns king.
Most Total Touchdowns, Buccaneers History
| Player | Pos. | Seasons | TDs 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Evans | WR | 2014-21 | 72 |
| Mike Alstott | FB | 1996-2006 | 71 |
| James Wilder | RB | 1981-89 | 45 |
| Jimmie Giles | TE | 1978-86 | 34 |
| Kevin House | WR | 1980-86 | 31 |
| Cameron Brate | TE | 2014-21 | 30 |
| 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 |
Evans scored on a five-yard pass from Tom Brady in the third quarter to give the Buccaneers a 24-10 lead. It marked the fourth straight game in which he has caught a touchdown pass, the longest active streak in the NFL. Evans owns the team record with a six-game streak of catching TD passes across the 2019-20 seasons, and Godwin has the second-longest run with five straight from the end of last season to the beginning of this one.
Evans passed Alstott on the Bucs' career scoring chart in Week 10 and merely padded his hold on fourth place in team annals with another six points Monday night. But kicker Ryan Succop, who had 12 points on perfect three-for-three performances on both field goals and extra points, moved up a spot on that chart.
Most Points Scored, Buccaneers History
| Player | Pos. | Seasons | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Gramatica | K | 1999-2004 | 592 |
| Michael Husted | K | 1993-98 | 502 |
| Connor Barth | K | 2009-13, 2015 | 477 |
| Mike Evans | WR | 2014-21 | 440 |
| Mike Alstott | FB | 1996-2007 | 432 |
| Matt Bryant | K | 2005-08 | 416 |
| Donald Igwebuike | K | 1985-89 | 416 |
| James Wilder | RB | 1981-89 | 276 |
| Ryan Succop | K | 2021-21 | 211 |
| Jimmie Giles | TE | 1978-86 | 204 |
With the Los Angeles Rams idle, Evans also caught Cooper Kupp for the top spot in the NFL in touchdown catches.
2021 NFL Leaders in Touchdown Receptions
| Player | Team | Yards |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Evans | Buccaneers | 10 |
| Cooper Kupp | Rams | 10 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | Bengals | 8 |
| Tyreek Hill | Chiefs | 8 |
| DK Metcalf | Seahawks | 8 |
| Adam Thielen | Vikings | 8 |
And, of course, there's our evergreen chart of the top touchdown-producing receivers in the NFL over the last eight years. Evans remains at the top of the list.
Most Touchdown Receptions, NFL, 2014-21
| Player | Team(s) | Rec. TDs |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Evans | Buccaneers | 71 |
| Antonio Brown | Steelers/Patriots/Bucs | 68 |
| Davante Adams | Packers | 67 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | Texans/Cardinals | 65 |
| Tyreek Hill | Chiefs | 55 |
Antonio Brown stayed just ahead of Davante Adams on the above chart but he has missed four straight games with an ankle injury. However, tight end Rob Gronkowski returned from a back ailment on Monday night and immediately contributed six catches for 71 yards. In the process, he surpassed Greg Olsen and Travis Kelce for the fifth most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history.
Most Receiving Yards, Tight End, NFL History
| Player | Team(s) | Seasons | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Gonzalez | Chiefs/Falcons | 1997-2013 | 15,127 |
| Jason Witten | Cowboys/Raiders | 2003-20 | 13,046 |
| Antonio Gates | Chargers | 2003-18 | 11,841 |
| Shannon Sharpe | Broncos/Ravens | 1990-2003 | 10,060 |
| Rob Gronkowski | Patriots/Buccaneers | 2010-21 | 8,739 |
| Travis Kelce | Chiefs/Falcons | 2013-21 | 8,702 |
| Greg Olsen | Bears/Panthers/Seahawks | 2007-20 | 8,683 |
| Jimmy Graham | Saints/Seahawks/Packers/Bears | 2010-21 | 8,403 |
| Ozzie Newsome | Browns | 1978-90 | 7,980 |
| Jackie Smith | Cardinals/Cowboys | 1963-78 | 7,918 |
Tom Brady also padded his lead on the NFL's touchdown pass chart, with those scoring strikes to Godwin and Evan increasing his total in 2021 to 29. With seven games still to play, that's already the third-highest total in franchise history, after his own 40-TD season last year and Jameis Winston's mark of 33 in 2019.
2021 NFL Leaders in Touchdown Passes
| Player | Team | TD Passes |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | Buccaneers | 29 |
| Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs | 25 |
| Matthew Stafford | Rams | 24 |
| Justin Herbert | Chargers | 22 |
| Joe Burrow | Bengals | 21 |
| Kirk Cousins | Vikings | 21 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Packers | 21 |
Brady's 307 yards against the Giants marked the 104th time he has topped the 300-yard mark in a game. Only Drew Brees has done that more often.
Most 300-Yard Passing Games, NFL history
| Player | Team(s) | TD Passes |
|---|---|---|
| Drew Brees | Chargers/Saints | 123 |
| Tom Brady | Patriots/Buccaneers | 104 |
| Peyton Manning | Colts/Broncos | 93 |
| Phillip Rivers | Chargers/Colts | 73 |
| Matt Ryan | Falcons | 73 |
Those 307 yards also pushed Brady's total in 2021 to 3,177, which is currently second in the NFL to Patrick Mahomes' 3,200. This marks the 19th time that Brady has topped the 3,000-yard mark in his career, which is yet another new record in his ledger.
Most Seasons with 3,000 Passing Yards, NFL history
| Player | Team(s) | TD Passes |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | Patriots/Buccaneers | 19 |
| Brett Favre | Packers/Jets/Vikings | 18 |
| Drew Brees | Chargers/Saints | 16 |
| Peyton Manning | Colts/Broncos | 16 |
| Phillip Rivers | Chargers/Colts | 15 |
The Buccaneers currently lead the NFL with an average of 30.9 points scored per game. Their 309 points are the most the team has ever scored through the first 10 games of a season.
Most Points, Buccaneers, First 10 Games of a Season
| 1. 2021: 309 |
|---|
| 2. 2020: 296 |
| 3. 2012: 287 |
| 4. 2019: 277 |
| 5. 2018: 267 |
On defense, Lavonte David tied for the team lead with eight tackles on Monday night. He did so in the 145th game of his career, all of which he has started and all of which have come in a Buccaneers uniform. There are now only three players in team history who have started more games than Davis.
Most Games Started, Buccaneers History
| Player | Pos. | Seasons | Starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronde Barber | CB | 1997-2012 | 232 |
| Derrick Brooks | LB | 1995-2008 | 221 |
| Paul Gruber | T | 1988-99 | 183 |
| Lavonte David | LB | 2012-21 | 145 |
| Tony Mayberry | C | 1990-99 | 145 |
