The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the division-rival Saints by a 51-27 margin in New Orleans on Sunday, in the process constructing of one of the best offensive outputs in the franchise's 49-season history. Most notably, the team set a new single-game franchise record with 594 yards of total offense.
Most Net Yards, Single Game, Buccaneers History
- 594…at New Orleans, Oct. 13, 2024
- 588…at Detroit, Dec. 26, 2020
- 576…at Cincinnati, Oct. 28, 2018
- 573…at Minnesota, Nov. 16, 1980
- 558…vs. Miami, Oct. 10, 2021
The Bucs' yardage total on Sunday is also the most any NFL team has mustered through the first six weeks of the 2024 season (Monday night game not included). It is also the fourth-highest yardage total for any team in the last five seasons. Tampa Bay got to that inflated total by exploding for 305 yards in the second half, thus becoming just the fourth team in the NFL since 2000 to score 27 points and generate 300-plus yards in the second half of a game.
Most Net Yards, Single Game, NFL, 2024
- 594…Tampa Bay at New Orleans, Oct. 13
- 550…Atlanta vs. Tampa Bay, Oct. 3
- 520…Baltimore at Cincinnati, Oct. 6
- 516…Seattle at Detroit, Sept. 30
- 497…Jacksonville vs. Indianapolis, Oct. 6
The final score marked just the second time the Buccaneers had ever surpassed 50 points in a game. Tampa Bay has scored 48 points or more in a regular season game six times in team history, and half of them have been against the Saints.
Most Points Scored, Single Game, Buccaneers History
1. 55…at L.A. Rams, Sept. 29, 2019 (W, 55-40)
2. 51…at New Orleans, Oct. 13, 2024 (W, 51-27)
3t. 48…vs. Atlanta, Sept. 19, 2021 (W, 48-25)
3t. 48…at New Orleans, Sept. 9, 2018 (W, 48-40)
3t. 48…vs. New Orleans, Dec. 23, 2001 (W, 48-21)
3t. 48…vs. Atlanta, Sept. 13, 1987 (W, 48-10)
The Bucs were just the second team ever to score 50 points against the Saints in the Superdome, and the first since Indianapolis in 2003. The 51 points for Tampa Bay marked the most New Orleans has surrendered in a game since giving up 52 to the New York Giants in 2012. The Bucs have now won three straight games in the Superdome and are 4-1 in their last five games against the Saints.
The Buccaneers finished the game on Sunday with 317 net passing yards and 277 rushing yards. It's just the second time in franchise history that the team has surpassed 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in the same game; the Bucs had 334 net passing yards and 210 rushing yards in a 46-23 win at Carolina on Nov. 15, 2020.
The Buccaneers are also just the fifth team in the history of the NFL to record 300-plus net passing yards and 275-plus rushing yards in the same game.
300-Plus Passing Yards, 275-Plus Rushing Yards, Single Game, NFL History
| Team | Opponent | Date | Pass Yards | Rush Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay | New Orleans | 10/13/2024 | 317 | 277 |
| Miami | Denver | 9/24/2023 | 376 | 350 |
| San Francisco | Buffalo | 10/7/2012 | 310 | 311 |
| Dallas | Baltimore | 9/4/1978 | 305 | 278 |
| Green Bay | Philadelphia | 11/11/1962 | 334 | 294 |
The Buccaneers' 277 rushing yards marked the third-highest total in franchise history. The Bucs averaged 7.91 yards per carry against the Saints, the fifth-best average in a game in team history and the second best in a game with 30-plus carries.
Most Rushing Yards, Single Game, Buccaneers History
- 283…at Philadelphia, Nov. 22, 2015
- 278…at Oakland, Nov. 4, 2012
- 277…at New Orleans, Oct. 13, 2024
- 250…vs. Dallas, Dec. 3, 2000
- 249…at San Francisco, Oct. 23, 2016
Highest Yards-Per-Carry Average, Single Game, Buccaneers History
- 9.00…vs. Detroit, Dec. 23, 1995 (16-144)
- 8.59…at Oakland, Nov. 4, 2012 (32-278)
- 8.56…vs. Green Bay, Nov. 16, 2003 (18-154)
- 8.00…vs. Seattle, Dec. 26, 2010 (28-2008)
- 7.91…at New Orleans, Oct. 13, 2024 (35-277)
Second-year running back Sean Tucker led the dominant rushing attack with 136 yards on 14 carries, averaging 9.7 yards per tote. That marked the third-highest per-carry average in franchise history with a minimum of 10 carries in a game.
Most Yards Per Carry, Buccaneers Player, Team History (min. 10 attempts)
- 10.1…Ricky Bell, vs. New Orleans, Oct. 14, 1979 (10-101)
- 10.0…Doug Martin, at Oakland, Nov. 4, 2012 (25-251)
- 9.7…Sean Tucker, at New Orleans, Oct. 13, 2024 (14-136)
- 9.6…Ronald Jones, vs. Atlanta, Dec. 29, 2019 (11-106)
- 9.6…Warrick Dunn, vs. Dallas, Dec. 3, 2000 (22-210)
Entering the game, Tucker had career totals of 30 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards, for a total of 53 yards from scrimmage. Against the Saints, he added 56 yards on three catches and scored on both a 36-yard reception and a five-yard run. He became the first Buccaneer to score on both a run and a pass since Leonard Fournette did so against Atlanta on Oct. 9, 2022. Tucker's output marked just the sixth time in team history that a Buccaneer player amassed 192 or more yards from scrimmage and scored multiple touchdowns in a single game. Doug Martin and Warrick Dunn each accomplished that feat twice and James Wilder did so once.
Rookie running back Bucky Irving also had a prolific afternoon in the Superdome, rushing 14 times for 81 yards (5.8 avg.) and a touchdown and catching two passes for 24 yards. Shades of "Thunder & Lightning"…this was just the fourth time in team annals that two Buccaneer running backs each recorded 100-plus yards from scrimmage and at least one touchdown in a game, and the first that did not involve Mike Alstott. Alstott and Dunn (the aforementioned Thunder & Lightning duo) combined to pull off that feat twice, while Alstott and Errict Rhett did it once.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield led the passing attack, completing 24 of 36 passes for 325 yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions and a 97.6 passer rating. Two of Mayfield's three interceptions came on unfortunate pass deflections, and his performance was otherwise so strong that he became the first NFL quarterback in five years to throw three interceptions in a game and still have a passer rating better than 95.
Mayfield tied a career-high with those four touchdown passes, marking the second time he has done so as a Buccaneer and the third time in his career. He is the only quarterback in the NFL with two games of four or more touchdown passes this season. Mayfield leads the NFL through six weeks with 15 touchdown passes. He is also second in the NFL with a 109.4 passer rating.
Most Touchdown Passes, NFL, 2024
1. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: 15
2t. Joe Burrow, Bengals: 12
2t. Jordan Love, Packers: 12
4. Sam Darnold, Vikings: 11
5t. C.J. Stroud, Texans: 10
5t. Lamar Jackson, Ravens: 10
Highest Passer Rating, NFL, 2024
- Joe Burrow, Bengals: 110.3
- Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: 109.4
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens: 108.4
- Jayden Daniels, Commanders: 107.1
- Jared Goff, Lions: 105.3
Wide receiver Chris Godwin was Mayfield's favorite target on the day. Godwin caught 11 of the 13 passes meant for him and turned them into 125 yards and two touchdowns. It was the 22nd 100-yard receiving game in the regular season for Godwin, who ranks second in that category in Bucs' history behind Mike Evans, with 36. Both Evans and Godwin are tied for the NFL lead with five touchdown receptions this season.
Most Touchdown Receptions, 2024
1t. Mike Evans, Buccaneers: 5
1t. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers: 5
1t. Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals: 5
1t. George Kittle, 49ers: 5
5t. five tied with: 4
Godwin has recorded at least five receptions and at least 50 receiving yards in every game this season, and his streak of seven 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 two 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: 54
2t. Davante Adams, Packers/Raiders: 54
4. Travis Kelce, Chiefs: 53
5. Tyreek Hill, Chiefs/Dolphins: 50
Of Godwin's 125 yards on Sunday in the Superdome, 105 came after he had caught the ball, and that tied for his highest YAC total in a single game. The other such instance also came against New Orleans during the 2021 season. Godwin increased his overall YAC total in 2024 to 335, which leads all NFL players by a comfortable margin.
Most Yards-After-Catch, NFL, 2024
- Chris Godwin, Buccaneers: 335
- Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals: 276
- CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys: 234
- Jayden Reed, Packers: 229
- Austin Ekeler, Commanders: 227
Godwin's second touchdown of the game came in the third quarter on a short pass that he turned into an electric 55-yard score. He caught the ball a half-yard behind the line of scrimmage, so his YAC on that one play totaled 55.5 yards. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the expected amount of yards after the catch on that play, based on where the defenders were when he caught the ball, was just 8.6.
Mayfield has a 138.3 passer rating when throwing to Godwin. Among players with at least 20 targets in 2024, Godwin ranks third in the NFL in passer rating when targeted.
Highest Team Passer Rating When Targeted, NFL, 2024 (min. 20 targets)
| Player | Team | Targets | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Reed | Green Bay | 34 | 148.2 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | Cincinnati | 42 | 138.5 |
| Chris Godwin | Tampa Bay | 53 | 138.3 |
| Isaiah Likely | Baltimore | 25 | 136.2 |
| Tucker Kraft | Green Bay | 26 | 135.3 |
All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. returned to action for the first time since suffering a foot injury in Week One and made an immediate impact. In addition to four tackles, one quarterback hit and one pass defensed, Winfield scooped up a Chris Olave fumble (forced by rookie safety Tykee Smith) and returned it 58 yards for the first touchdown of his career. It was Tampa Bay's first fumble returned for a touchdown since Devin White did so against Atlanta in 2019.
Cornerback Zyon McCollum secured the second interception of his career on the first play of the fourth quarter, setting up a drive ending in a Cade Otton touchdown catch and a 10-point lead for the Buccaneers. That was one of two passes defensed on the day for McCollum, who is tied for the NFL lead in that category.
Most Passes Defensed, NFL, 2024
1t. Zyon McCollum, Buccaneers: 10
1t. Denzel Ward, Browns: 10
1t. Paulson Adebo, Saints: 10
3t. Brian Branch, Lions: 9
5. four tied with: 7
