The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Tennessee Titans, 20-6, in Week 10, in a game in which their offense generated six plays of 20 or more yards and their defense allowed just two. The two longest plays of the game, both passes thrown by the Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield, each gained 43 yards, but they did so in very different ways.
One of those was a sliding 43-yard catch by Mike Evans at the Titans' eight-yard line, which set up a Chase McLaughlin field goal early in the third quarter. Evans ran a straight go route and had to adjust and make a difficult catch after locating the ball at the last moment. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the play included 39.4 "air yards," which is how many yards downfield from the line of scrimmage the ball is at the time of the catch.
The other 43-yard play for the Buccaneers technically had negative 5.9 air yards because it was a screen pass that running back Rachaad White caught well behind the line of scrimmage. In this case, White did almost all of the work, following his blocks and slicing through defenders to get all the way to the end zone. This was the longest play of White's young career and the longest touchdown by any Buccaneer this season, and it gave the home team a lead it would not relinquish.
While the Buccaneers' rushing attack is still trying to fully find its footing, White has supplemented his reasonable rushing totals with 35 receptions for 326 yards, making him one of the most productive pass-catching backs in the NFL. Through the first 10 weeks of the season (in which he has played nine games, compared to 10 for some of the NFL's other backs), White ranks third in the league among running backs in receptions and second in receiving yards.
Most Receptions, NFL Running Backs, 2023
| Running Back | Team | Recs. |
|---|---|---|
| Alvin Kamara | Saints | 50 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 49ers | 38 |
| Rachaad White | Buccaneers | 35 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | Patriots | 32 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | Lions | 31 |
| Jaylen Warren | Steelers | 31 |
Most Receiving Yards, NFL Running Backs, 2023
| Running Back | Team | Rec. Yards |
|---|---|---|
| Christian McCaffrey | 49ers | 339 |
| Rachaad White | Buccaneers | 326 |
| Alvin Kamara | Saints | 305 |
| Travis Etienne | Jaguars | 275 |
| Antonio Gibson | Commanders | 269 |
White finished the game with 51 yards on the ground and 47 through the air, leaving him just two yards shy of recording his third consecutive game with 100-plus yards from scrimmage. Over the last three weeks, he has produced 326 yads from scrimmage, which ranks fourth among all NFL players in that span and first among running backs.
Evans didn't score on his 43-yard catch but he did get in the end zone on a 22-yard reception later in the third quarter. As is the case with virtually every Evans touchdown at this point in his career, the latest one moved him up another rung on the NFL's all-time chart. He is now tied with Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Reed for 16th place. Below is a look at the next players Evans will be chasing down as he advances toward the top 10 all time.
NFL's All-Time Leaders in Touchdown Receptions
16. 87: Mike Evans, Andre Reed*
15. 88: Don Maynard*
14. 90: Davante Adams^
13. 91: Isaac Bruce*
12. 92: Rob Gronkowski
* Pro Football Hall of Famer
^ Active player
Evans also moved up one more spot on the NFL's all-time receiving yardage chart, as he caught six passes for 143 yards against the Titans, pushing his career total to 11,162. He took the 38th spot from Chad Johnson and is within reach of several more rungs on that ladder this season.
Evans needs…
…102 yards to pass DeSean Jackson for 37th place
…212 yards to pass Keenan McCardell for 36th place
…228 yards to pass Rod Smith for 35th place
…277 yards to pass Muhsin Muhammad for 34th place
Evans' 100-yard outing was the 35th of his career in the regular season and he has three more in the postseason. That's by far the most 100-yard receiving games in Buccaneers history and it currently ranks seventh among active players.
Evans played in his 145th game for the Buccaneers on Sunday, tying him with former Pro Bowl center Tony Mayberry for the fifth most in franchise history.
Evans and White scored the Bucs' two touchdowns and McLaughlin accounted for the other eight points with field goals of 35 and 25 yards and a pair of extra points. McLaughlin is now 17 of 19 on field goal attempts in 2023, with his only two misses being blocked kicks, and he's perfect on 15 extra point tries.
That was more than enough scoring to defeat the Titans, who were held to six points on a pair of field goals. This marked the second time this season that the Buccaneers' defense had held an opponent without a touchdown; it also did so in a 26-9 win at New Orleans in Week Four. The Bucs sacked Titans quarterback Will Levis four times and delivered 13 hits on him. That's the most QB hits a Tampa Bay defense has amassed in one game since December 29, 2019 against the Atlanta Falcons. Five different Buccaneer defenders – Shaquil Barrett, Yaya Diaby, Calijah Kancey, Vita Vea and Devin White – had a pair of QB hits, the most for any team in a single game this season.
The Bucs also recorded 10 tackles for loss, the most they've had in a single game since November 14, 2021 at Washington. Diaby, Kancey and Lavonte David had two TFLs each. David has had at least one tackle for loss in five consecutive games, the longest such streak by a Buccaneer since Jason Pierre-Paul did it in 2018. David increased his career total to 154 TFLs, which is the fourth-highest total for any active player in the NFL.
Most Tackles for Loss, NFL, Active Players
- Aaron Donald, L.A. Rams: 171
- Calais Campbell, Arizona/Jacksonville/Baltimore/Atlanta: 168
- Von Miller, Denver/L.A. Rams/Buffalo: 164
- Lavonte David, Tampa Bay: 154
- Cameron Jordan, New Orleans: 153
David's two TFLs were part of his five total tackles on the day, which increased his career total to 1,427. He now needs just two more tackles to pass Rondé Barber for second place on the Buccaneers' all-time list**.
Most Tackles, Buccaneers History
| Player | Pos. | Seasons | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Brooks | LB | 1995-2008 | 2,198 |
| Ronde Barber | CB | 1997-2012 | 1,428 |
| Lavonte David | LB | 2012-23 | 1,427 |
| Hardy Nickerson | LB | 1993-99 | 1,028 |
| Shelton Quarles | LB | 1997-2006 | 985 |
Kancey notched multiple tackles for loss for the second consecutive game and is the first rookie to accomplish that feat since Micah Parsons and Jaelan Phillips did so in 2021. His six TFLs overall this season rank second among all rookies.
Most Tackles for Loss, Rookie, NFL, 2023
- Tuli Tuipulotu, Chargers: 7
- Calijah Kancey, Buccaneers: 6
- Jalen Carter, Eagles: 5
- Five players tied with: 4
In addition to holding Levis below a 50% completion rate on Sunday, the Buccaneers also contained bruising running back Derrick Henry, allowing him to gain just 24 yards on 11 carries for an average of 2.2 yards per tote. Henry also lost four yards on one reception, bringing his yards from scrimmage total down to 20. That is his lowest yards from scrimmage total in any game since December 10, 2017, when he also had 20 against Arizona.
