What To Look For: Bucs vs. Saints
3 min read
Tom Brady (12) via pff.com
Bang For Your Bucs:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into Week 15 tied with the best record in the NFL. With a win on Sunday, the team will reach 11 wins for the second time in franchise history. Additionally, with a win on Sunday night, The Buccaneers will clinch the NFC South division for the first time since 2007.
The Bucs are undefeated at home. The team’s last home game loss was in 2020 when they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 12. The Pewter Pirates are 6-0 at home on the season and have 30 or more points in each game at home this season. If you go back to 2020’s Week 17 win at home against the Falcons, the Bucs have scored 30 points or more in 7 regular-season home games. If Tampa scores 30 or more points this Sunday, they will become the third team in NFL history to score 30+ points in 8 or more home games and will join the 1999-2000 St. Louis Rams and the 2012-2013 Denver Broncos. The Bucs would also be the first team in NFL history to score 30+ points in each of their first seven games at home in an NFL season.
The G.O.A.T. Doing G.O.A.T. Things:
Tom Brady leads the NFL in passing yards with 4,134 and in passing touchdowns with 36. Brady’s 4,000 or more passing yards mark the 13th time he’s accomplished this, which is second to Peyton Manning who has done it 14 times. Thus far on the season, Tom Brady has thrown 4 touchdowns in six games which leads the NFL. Additionally, in 39 career games, he’s thrown 4 touchdown passes or more, leading the NFL ALL-TIME. If Brady throws 4 touchdown passes this Sunday, he becomes the 5th player in NFL history to record 4 touchdown passes in 7+ games, joining Peyton Manning 9, 2013, Patrick Mahomes 7, 2019, and Aaron Rodgers 7, 2020. *Each was named (AP) M.V.P. for that season.
With 4 touchdowns or more on Sunday, Brady would also record 40 touchdowns in a season for the third time in his career — last accomplished in 2020 and again in 2007, joining Aaron Rodgers as the only players in NFL history to accomplish this feat. Additionally, he would join Drew Brees as the only two players in NFL history to accomplish this in consecutive seasons.
Mike Evans And Chris Godwin Are Both Eyeing History:
Wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have been an integral part of Tom Brady’s success the past two seasons in Tampa. With 115 receiving yards on Sunday, Mike Evans will become the first player in NFL history to record 8 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, extending his NFL record. Since entering the league in 2014, Mike Evans has recorded 72 touchdown receptions, which leads the NFL in that span, and he ranks 3rd in that time frame with 9,151 receiving yards.
During last week’s win against the Buffalo Bills, Chris Godwin caught 10 passes for 105 yards, following a career-high 15 catches for 143 yards the previous week. Godwin can become the 6th player in NFL history to record 10 or more receptions and 100 or more yards in three consecutive games.
Godwin would join:
Calvin Johnson in 2012, 4 games.
Michael Thomas in 2019, 3 games.
Keenan Allen 2017, 3 games.
Andre Johnson 2008, 3 games.
*Sourced from the NFL
