In a game that featured two of the top four scoring offenses in the NFL on Monday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a wild shootout to the Baltimore Ravens, 41-31. It was a potentially costly loss, as wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both suffered what appear to be injuries of some significance.
The game featured a combined 989 yards of net offense, the most in any contest in the NFL in 2024. Both the Buccaneers and Ravens have been involved in two of the top five games on that list.
Most Combined Yards, NFL Game, 2024
- Baltimore at Tampa Bay, Week 7: 989
- Baltimore at Cincinnati, Week 5: 962
- Indianapolis at Jacksonville, Week 5: 944
- Seattle at Detroit, Week 4: 905
- Tampa Bay at New Orleans, Week 6: 897
Of those 989 yards, 481 belonged to the Buccaneers. This comes one week after the Tampa Bay offense set a new franchise single-game record with 594 yards in a win at New Orleans. That's a total of 1,075 net yards, the most the Buccaneers have ever generated across a two-game span in team history. It's also the most yards in a pair of consecutive games for any team this season.
The Buccaneers rank fourth in the NFL in scoring with 29.9 points per game and have topped 30 points four games in a row and in five of seven outings so far in 2024. The Bucs' five 30-point games are the most any team in the NFL has generated so far this season. This is just the third time in franchise history that the Buccaneers have scored 30 points in at least four consecutive games, and all three of those streaks have occurred in the last five seasons. The Bucs had a five-game stretch of 30-plus points in 2020 and another four-game run in 2021.
With the Atlanta Falcons also falling in Week Seven to the Seattle Seahawks, the Buccaneers remain tied atop the NFC South with a 4-3 record. Tampa Bay has held at least a share of first place in the division for 50 of the last 58 regular season weeks.
Baker Mayfield led the Buccaneers' offensive onslaught with 370 yards and three touchdowns, plus two interceptions, on 31 of 45 passing. He now has 18 touchdown passes on the season, which continues to lead the NFL. Mayfield's 18 touchdown tosses are tied for the second most by a Tampa Bay quarterback in the first seven games of a season in team history. Tom Brady had 21 in 2021 and 18 in 2020.
Most Touchdown Passes, NFL, 2024
1. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: 18
2t. Lamar Jackson, Ravens: 15
2t. Jordan Love, Packers: 15
4. Joe Burrow, Bengals: 14
5t. Josh Allen, Bills: 12
5t. Sam Darnold Vikings: 12
Mayfield also continues to rank in the top five among all NFL quarterbacks in passer rating.
Highest Passer Rating, NFL, 2024
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens: 118.0
- Jared Goff, Lions: 111.5
- Joe Burrow, Bengals: 110.1
- Josh Allen, Bills: 108.4
- Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: 107.1
Mayfield opened Monday's game by directing a 70-yard drive that ended in a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans. That marked the fourth game in a row in which the Buccaneers have scored a touchdown on their first possession. It was a milestone trip to the end zone for Evans, who became just the 11th player in NFL history to reach 100 career touchdown receptions. Eight of the other 10 players on the list are already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they will likely be joined by the other two before long.
Most Career Touchdown Receptions, NFL History
| Player | Team(s) | Season | TD Recs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Rice+ | 49ers, Raiders, Seahawks | 1985-2004 | 197 |
| Randy Moss+ | five teams* | 1998-2012 | 156 |
| Terrell Owens+ | five teams** | 1996-2010 | 153 |
| Cris Carter+ | Eagles, Vikings, Dolphins | 1987-2002 | 130 |
| Marvin Harrison+ | Colts | 1996-2008 | 128 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | Cardinals | 2004-20 | 121 |
| Antonio Gates | Chargers | 2003-18 | 116 |
| Tony Gonzalez+ | Chiefs, Falcons | 2003-18 | 111 |
| Tim Brown+ | Raiders, Buccaneers | 1988-2004 | 100 |
| Mike Evans | Buccaneers | 2014-24 | 100 |
| Steve Largent+ | Seahawks | 1976-89 | 100 |
(+ Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
* Moss played for Vikings, Raiders, Patriots, Titans and 49ers
** Owens played for the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills and Bengals)
Evans is now just the 10th player in league annals to reach 12,000 receiving yards and 100 touchdowns, and the other nine are already in the Hall of Fame.
Players with 12,000-Plus Receiving Yards, 100-Plus Receptions, NFL History
| Player | Team(s) | Yards | TD Recs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Rice+ | 49ers, Raiders, Seahawks | 22,895 | 197 |
| Randy Moss+ | five teams* | 15,292 | 156 |
| Terrell Owens+ | five teams** | 15,934 | 153 |
| Cris Carter+ | Eagles, Vikings, Dolphins | 13,899 | 130 |
| Marvin Harrison+ | Colts | 14,580 | 128 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | Cardinals | 17,492 | 121 |
| Tony Gonzalez+ | Chiefs, Falcons | 15,127 | 111 |
| Tim Brown+ | Raiders, Buccaneers | 14,934 | 100 |
| Mike Evans | Buccaneers | 12,015 | 100 |
| Steve Largent+ | Seahawks | 13,089 | 100 |
(+ Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
* Moss played for Vikings, Raiders, Patriots, Titans and 49ers
** Owens played for the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills and Bengals)
Evans also played in the 161st game of his career, all with the Buccaneers. That moved him past former Pro Bowl center Tony Mayberry into sole possession of eighth place in franchise history. He is three behind Hall of Fame safety John Lynch for seventh place. Evans' scoring grab was his sixth of the season and he is tied for first place in the NFL in that category.
Most Touchdown Receptions, 2024
1t. Mike Evans, Buccaneers: 6
1t. Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals: 6
3t. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers: 5
3t. Justin Jefferson, Vikings: 5
3t. Drake London, Falcons: 5
3t. George Kittle, 49ers: 5
3t. Allen Lazard, Jets: 5
Before his ankle injury on the game's final drive, Godwin caught seven passes for 65 yards. He has now recorded at least five receptions and at least 50 receiving yards in every game this season, and his streak of eight such games dating back to last season is the longest active one in the NFL. Since 2019, he is tied for the second most games meeting that criteria and is just one behind the leader.
Most Games With Five-Plus Receptions, 50-Plus Receiving Yards, NFL, 2019-24
1. Stefon Diggs, Vikings/Bills/Texans: 56
2t. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers: 55
2t. Davante Adams, Packers/Raiders/Jets: 54
4. Travis Kelce, Chiefs: 53
5. Tyreek Hill, Chiefs/Dolphins: 50
Mayfield's other two touchdown passes went to running back Rachaad White, who scored on an 11- yard catch early in the fourth quarter and a 23-yard grab later in the period. It marked the second multiple-touchdown game of his career and he also tallied 111 yards from scrimmage. Rookie running back Bucky Irving added 77 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown and second-year man Sean Tucker pitched in with 38 yards from scrimmage. In total, the backfield trio accounted for 226 yards from scrimmage and three scores against the Ravens.
The Buccaneers ground game has come to life over the past three weeks, with a total of 562 rushing yards in games against the Falcons, Saints and Ravens. That's tied for the fourth most rushing yards across any three-game span in franchise history.
Most Rushing Yards, Three-Game Span, Buccaneers History
1. 597…Sept. 16-30, 1979
2 ,581…Nov. 22 – Dec. 6, 2015
3. 578…Sept. 21 – Nov. 5, 1986
4t. 562…Oct. 3-21, 2024
4t. 562…Sept. 1-16, 1979
Tight end Cade Otton was the Bucs' leading receiver against Baltimore, hauling in eight passes for 100 yards to record the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. Otton is the first Buccaneer tight end with a 100-yard game since Rob Gronkowski against Carolina in the 2021 regular season finale
