Buccaneers record book watch: Week nine

The Buccaneers will be at the halfway point of the 2018 season after Sunday’s road matchup against the Panthers. Their already-slim playoff hopes are on the line this week, as dropping to 3-5 would put them in a hole that might be too deep to climb out of. Tampa Bay hits the road against a good Carolina team with some significant injuries and a quarterback change. The deck is stacked against the Bucs, that’s for sure.

With all of that said, some players are looking to inch closer to some franchise records. Let’s take a look at who those players are in this week’s record book watch.

Career Receptions

Mike Evans is still second in receptions at 355, needing 76 more to pass James Wilder (430) for the franchise record.

Career Passing Yards

Head coach Dirk Koetter has benched Jameis Winston for this week’s game after a four-interception performance last week in Cincinnati. Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the start for the Bucs. But if Winston gets in the game for whatever reason, he could work his way up in some categories. Right now, he is fourth in career passing yards with 12,817. He needs 153 more to pass Trent Dilfer (12,969) for third.

Career Passing Touchdowns

Winston is third in touchdown passes with 75. He needs three more to pass Vinny Testaverde (77) for second.

Career Completions

With 1,035 completions, Winston is fifth all-time. He needs six more to pass Brad Johnson (1,040) for fourth.

Career Passing Attempts

Winston has 1,692 passing attempts in his career, which places him fifth in Bucs history. He needs 199 more to pass Doug Williams (1,890) for fourth.

Career Rushing Touchdowns

Winston is 14th all-time in rushing touchdowns with nine. He needs one more to tie Michael Pittman for 13th.

Peyton Barber picked up his first rushing touchdown of the season last week, tying him for 20th all-time in the category with five. One more would pull him into a five-way tie for 16th.

Jacquizz Rodgers is still tied for 29th with three rushing scores. One more ties him for 26th.

Career Tackles

Lavonte David is fourth in team history with 590 tackles. He is 91 away from passing Hardy Nickerson (680) for third.

Gerald McCoy is questionable for Sunday’s game. If he suits up, he has a shot to move up in tackles. He has 205 right now, which has him at 24th. Two more would move him past Simeon Rice (206) for 23rd.

Career Sacks

McCoy is firmly in third all-time with 50 sacks. He is 20 away from passing Simeon Rice for second.

Career Safeties

Lavonte David is tied for first in franchise history with one safety. Another one would give him sole possession of the team record.

Career Interceptions

David is tied for 17th with 10 interceptions. One more would tie him with two other players for 15th.

Career Passes Defended

David and Brent Grimes are tied with Simeon Rice for seventh all-time at 37 passes defended. David and Grimes are both six away from passing John Lynch (42).

Career Fumble Recoveries

David and Ronde Barber currently share the franchise record for fumble recoveries with 12. One more would give David the record all by himself.

Career Forced Fumbles

David has 18 forced fumbles, which places him third. He needs two more to pass Simeon Rice for second.

Career Games Played

If Gerald McCoy is able to play, it will be his 115th game with Tampa Bay. That ties him for 18th-most in franchise history with Karl “The Truth” Williams.

Sunday will be Demar Dotson’s 108th game as a Buc, which ties him for 27th-most in team history with Andrew Economos.

Lavonte David is set for his 99th game as a Buc, which moves him into 41st in franchise history.