The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2022 season came to an end on Monday night with a 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs were the only three teams to make the playoffs each of the past three seasons, but while the Bills and Chiefs remain on a possible collision course in the AFC Championship Game, the Buccaneers have failed to advance to the Divisional Round for the first time in Tom Brady's three seasons with the team.
The Buccaneers' record against Dallas in the postseason fell to 0-3, and each of those three games was decided by at least 13 points. The Cowboys also knocked the Bucs out in the opening round in 1981 and 1982, by 38-0 and 30-17 scores, respectively.
After falling behind 24-0 and then 31-6, the Buccaneers had to keep the ball in the air in their attempted comeback, with the clock as their enemy. As such, Brady threw 66 passes, the second most ever attempted in an NFL playoff game.
| Player | Team | Opponent | Date | Passes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Roethlisberger | Steelers | Browns | 1/10/21 | 68 |
| Tom Brady | Buccaneers | Cowboys | 1/16/23 | 66 |
| Steve Young | 49ers | Packers | 1/6/96 | 65 |
| Bernie Kosar | Browns | Jets | 1/3/87 | 64 |
| Dan Marino | Dolphins | Bills | 12/30/95 | 64 |
Brady completed 35 of those 66 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. It was the 19th 300-yard passing game of Brady's career in the postseason, extending his record in that category and giving him a double-digit lead over the next quarterback on the list.
Most 300-Yard Passing Games, NFL Postseason History
| Player | Team(s) | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | Patriots/Buccaneers | 19 |
| Peyton Manning | Colts/Broncos | 9 |
| Drew Brees | Chargers/Saints | 8 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Packers | 8 |
| Joe Montana | 49ers/Chiefs | 6 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Steelers | 6 |
| Kurt Warner | Rams/Cardinals/Giants | 6 |
Brady was already the NFL's all-time postseason leader in games played, passing yards and touchdown passes, among other categories. Here's where he stands in regards to the competition after his most recent playoff outing.
Most Postseason Games Played, NFL History
| Player | Pos. | Team(s) | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | QB | Patriots/Buccaneers | 48 |
| Adam Vinatieri | K | Colts/Patriots | 32 |
| Jerry Rice | WR | 49ers/Raiders/Seahawks | 29 |
| Stephen Gostkowski | K | Patriots/Titans | 29 |
| Peyton Manning | QB | Colts/Broncos | 27 |
Most Postseason Passing Yards, NFL History
| Player | Team(s) | Yards |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | Patriots/Buccaneers | 13,400 |
| Peyton Manning | Colts/ Broncos | 7,339 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Steelers | 5,972 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Packers | 5,894 |
| Brett Farve | Packers/Jets/Vikings | 5,855 |
Most Postseason Touchdown Passes, NFL History
| Player | Team(s) | Yards |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | Patriots/Buccaneers | 88 |
| Joe Montana | 49ers/Chiefs | 45 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Packers | 45 |
| Brett Favre | Packers/Jets/Vikings | 44 |
| Peyton Manning | Colts/Broncos | 40 |
Brady's top target on Monday night was wide receiver Chris Godwin who caught 10 passes for 85 yards. That set a new Buccaneers record for receptions in a single postseason contest.
Most Receptions, Single Game, Buccaneers Playoff History
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Godwin | Cowboys | 1/16/22 | 10 |
| Mike Evans | Eagles | 1/16/22 | 9 |
| Leonard Fournette | Rams | 1/23/22 | 9 |
| Warrick Dunn | Eagles | 1/12/02 | 8 |
| Mike Evans | Rams | 1/23/22 | 8 |
Godwin finished the regular season with 104 catches, just two shy of the Buccaneers' single-season record in that category, set at 106 by Keyshawn Johnson in 2001. However, Godwin's 10 grabs against the Cowboys gave him 114 on the season, playoffs included, and that did best Johnson's previous record.
Most Receptions, Single Season, Playoffs Included, Buccaneers History
| Player | Season | Recs. |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Godwin | 2022 | 114 |
| Keyshawn Johnson | 2001 | 109 |
| Chris Godwin | 2021 | 98 |
| Mike Evans | 2016 | 96 |
| Mike Evans | 2021 | 91 |
Godwin finished the 2022 regular season with 14 straight games in which he caught at least six passes. If one includes the postseason, that streak now stands at 15 games, the longest active one in the NFL and the second longest one in Buccaneers history.
Most Consecutive Games with Five-Plus Receptions, NFL, 2022 (Postseason Included)
| Player | Streak | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Godwin (TB)* | 15* | Oct. 2 - Jan. 16 |
| CeeDee Lamb (DAL) | 10 | Oct. 30 - Jan. 8 |
| Tyreek Hill (MIA) | 9 | Sept. 29 - Dec. 4 |
| DK Metcalf (SEA) | 8 | Oct. 30 - Dec. 24 |
(* Active streak.)
Most Consecutive Games with Five-Plus Receptions, Buccaneers History (Postseason Included)
| Palyer | Streak | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Keyshawn Johnson | 16 | Dec. 18, 2000 - Dec. 16, 2001 |
| Chris Godwin | 15 | Oct. 2, 2022 - Jan. 16, 2023 |
| Keenan McCardell | 9 | Oct. 26, 2003 - Dec. 20, 2003 |
| Mike Evans | 7 | Dec. 18, 2017 - Sept. 30, 2018 |
| Joey Galloway | 7 | Sept. 25, 2005 - Nov. 13, 2005 |
Brady also completed seven passes to Julio Jones and six to Mike Evans, with each receiver gaining 74 yards. Jones pushed his career postseason total to 970 receiving yards, the third most among active NFL players.
Most Postseason Receiving Yards, Active NFL Players.
| Player | Team(s) | Yards |
|---|---|---|
| Travis Kelce | Chiefs | 1,291 |
| Tyreek Hill | Chiefs/Dolphins | 1,150 |
| Julio Jones | Falcons/Titans/Buccaneers | 970 |
| Davante Adams | Packers/Raiders | 910 |
| Stefon Diggs | Vikings/Bills | 801 |
Jones has now played in 10 career playoff games and has recorded at least 50 receiving yards in all of them, dating back to the 2011 season with the Atlanta Falcons. Jones is only the fourth player in NFL history to post at least 50 receiving yards in 10 straight postseason games.
Most Consecutive Games with 50+ Receiving Yards, NFL Postseason History
| Player | Team(s) | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Julian Edelman | NE | 13 |
| Julio Jones | ATL/TEN/TB | 10 |
| Gary Clark | WAS/AZ/MIA | 10 |
| Jerry Rice | SF/OAK/SEA | 10 |
**
Additional Notes:
- Inside linebacker Lavonte David led the Buccaneers with 14 tackles on Monday night, a new single-game high for him in the postseason. With tackle data available back to the 1994 season, that's also the second-highest tackle total in a playoff game in Bucs history. Devin White had 15 tackles in the 2020 NFC Championship Game in Green Bay. White and David have 56 and 53 tackles in the playoffs over the past three seasons, the first and second highest totals in the NFL in that span.
- The Buccaneers finished with 334 net passing yards and 386 total yards of offense on Monday night, both of which are the second highest single-game totals in the team's postseason annals. The Bucs recorded 365 net passing yards and 507 total yards at Washington on Jan. 9, 20221.
- Defensive lineman Vita Vea recorded the Buccaneers' lone sack of Dak Prescott in Monday's game, but defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches led the team with two quarterback hits. Nunez-Roches now has two games in his career with multiple QB hits, and both occurred in the playoffs. He also had two against Philadelphia last year on Jan. 16.
