Many feats to open up the season
– The Tampa Bay Bucs defeated the Dallas Cowboys by a final score of 19-3 in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football, earning Todd Bowles his first win as head coach in Tampa Bay.
– Leonard Fournette led the team in scrimmage yards, taking 21 carries for 127 yards, while adding 10 receiving yards on two catches. It marked the fourth 100-yard rushing game for Fournette with Tampa Bay and the 12th of his NFL career. Fournette’s 127 yards are the most he has had in a regular season game with the Bucs.
– Tom Brady completed 18-of-27 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown. He has 904 completions since joining Tampa Bay in 2020, surpassing Doug Williams (895) for the sixth-most completions in team history.
– Brady is the first quarterback in NFL history to make 20 career starts on Kickoff Weekend.
– Mike Evans snagged his 76th career receiving touchdown, tying Fred Biletnikoff and Harold Jackson for the 34th-most in NFL history. Evans led the team in receiving with five receptions for 71 yards.
– In his Bucs’ debut, Julio Jones hauled in three receptions for 69 yards (23.0 avg.). With his yardage total, Jones surpassed Torry Holt (13,382) for the 16th-most receiving yards in NFL history. He also contributed 17 yards on the ground on two attempts.
– The Bucs defense held the Cowboys to three points, matching the fewest points allowed in a game since Oct. 24, 2021, vs. Chicago. In 2021, Dallas led the NFL in scoring and scored more than three points in each of their 17 games during the 2021 season.
– In addition, Tampa Bay allowed just 173 net passing yards in the game. Dallas recorded more than 173 passing yards offensively in each of their 17 games during the 2021 season.
– Dallas reached Tampa Bay’s 31-yard line on its first possession, which was the deepest the Cowboys advanced into Bucs’ territory on the night. The last time Tampa Bay held an opposing offense out of the red zone for an entire game was on 12/26/20 at Detroit.
– Antoine Winfield Jr. generated Tampa Bay’s first takeaway of the 2022 NFL season, intercepting a pass from Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and returning it 15 yards. Winfield now has four interceptions during the regular season in his NFL career and five including playoffs.
– Tampa Bay has generated 83 takeaways since Head Coach Todd Bowles took charge of the defense in 2019 – the third-most in the NFL during that span.
NFL TEAM TAKEAWAY LEADERS – SINCE 2019
Rank Team Takeaways
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 92
2. New England Patriots 88
3. Tampa Bay Bucs 83
4t. Buffalo Bills 82
4t. Indianapolis Colts 82
– Bucs CB Carlton Davis III recorded his first pass defense of the season, giving him 49 passes defensed since 2019 – the most in the NFL during that span.
NFL PASSES DEFENSED LEADERS – SINCE 2019
Rank Player (Team) PD
1. Carlton Davis III (TB) 49
2. James Bradberry (PHI) 48
3. J.C. Jackson (LAC) 47
4. Marshon Lattimore (NO) 44
5. Xavien Howard (MIA)_ 41
– LB Devin White led the Bucs with eight tackles and 2.0 sacks, improving his career regular season sack total to 17.0. OLB Anthony Nelson and NT Vita Vea also each recorded 1.0 sack for Tampa Bay, bettering their career sack totals to 7.0 and 12.5, respectively.
– K Ryan Succop made four field goals in Week 1, hitting from 29, 38, 44 and 47 yards. He now has 280 points scored since joining the Bucs in 2020 – the third-most points by a kicker during that span.
NFL KICKING POINTS LEADERS – SINCE 2020
Rank Player (Team) Points
1. Daniel Carlson (LV) 301
2. Tyler Bass (BUF) 283
3. Ryan Succop (TB) 280
4. Justin Tucker (BAL) 273
5. Younghoe Koo (ATL) 269
In addition, Succop’s 280 points scored with the Bucs surpassed James Wilder (276) for eighth-most points scored in team history.
MOST POINTS SCORED – Bucs HISTORY
Rank Player (Seasons) Points
1. Martin Gramatica (1999-2004) 592
2. Michael Husted (1993-1998) 502
3. Connor Barth (2009-12, 2015) 477
4. Mike Evans (2014-Present) 464
5. Mike Alstott (1996-2007) 432
6t. Matt Bryant (2005-08) 416
6t. Donald Igwebuike (1985-89) 416
8. Ryan Succop (2020-Present) 280
9. James Wilder (1981-89) 276
10. Jimmie Giles (1978-86) 204
– Rookie P Jake Camarda punted three times for a gross average of 50.7 yards and a net average of 43.0, including two punts pinned inside the 20-yard line. Camarda’s longest punt in his NFL debut was 63 yards.
(Courtesy of the Bucs Communications Department.)