This Sunday, an increasingly heated rivalry will be renewed between the Buccaneers (6-1) and Saints (4-2) in New Orleans, with the two teams meeting for the first of two times over this season.

Of course, these two teams have their history together. For years upon years, New Orleans has dominated the NFC South. In fact, the team in black and gold has won the division four consecutive times. In 2020, many thought the Bucs would unseat them atop the division standings, but that didn’t come to fruition. The Saints swept the season series, winning 34-23 in Week 1 before a blowout 38-3 win in Week 9. But it was the new-look Tampa Bay team that got the last laugh, as it came in to the Superdome in January to beat the Saints, 30-20, to eliminate the division champs, denying them a shot at the Super Bowl and sending Drew Brees into retirement.

Now, as this matchup between division foes lines up in Week 8 of the 2021 season, it’ll be former Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston suiting up and starting for the Saints against the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay has become the favorite of the division and currently leads the NFC South by 1.5 games.

There are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on in this one, and—as usual—there are plenty of players looking to work their way toward franchise and league history. Let’s see where things sand heading into this Halloween afternoon/evening contest, shall we?

Buccaneers History

**All statistics and records come from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.**

Career Passing Yards

Tom Brady’s 6,908 passing yards as a Buc are the eight-most in franchise history, and he needs 2,532 more to pass Steve DeBerg (9,439) for seventh.

Career Passing Touchdowns

Last week, Brady threw for four touchdowns to pull himself even with Steve DeBerg (61) for seventh-most in franchise history. He needs four more to pass Brad Johnson (64) for sixth.

Career Pass Attempts

With 913 pass attempts in his Buccaneer tenure, Brady is 502 away from passing Steve DeBerg (1,414) for seventh-most in team history.

Career Completions

Brady is up to 604 completions in his time as a Buc. That’s good for eighth on the team’s all-time leaderboard and he finds himself 210 away from passing Steve DeBerg (813) for seventh.

Career Rushing Yards

Ronald Jones II looked the best he has all season in last week’s win against the Bears. He now has 1,927 rushing yards in his career, meaning he needs 13 more to pass LeGarrette Blount (1,939) for 12th-most in franchise history. He needs 61 more yards to pass Peyton Barber (1,987) for 11th.

Career Rushing Touchdowns

Jones’ 15 rushing touchdowns in a Tampa Bay uniform tie him with Lars Tate, Earnest Graham and Peyton Barber for ninth-most in franchise history. With one more, he ties Ricky Bell (16) for eighth.

Career Rush Attempts

With 428 rush attempts, Jones has the 13th-most in Bucs history. He needs 50 more to pass Earnest Graham (477) for 12th.

Career Receiving Yards

Chris Godwin is up to sixth on Tampa Bay’s all-time receiving yards list with 4,060. He needs 241 more yards to pass Buccaneer Ring of Honor member Jimmie Giles (4,300) for fifth.

Cameron Brate’s 2,548 receiving yards have him ranked 17th in franchise history. With 157 more yards, he moves ahead of Warrick Dunn (2,704) for 16th.

Career Receiving Touchdowns

Brate’s 29 receiving touchdowns rank him fourth in Buccaneer history, and he needs just three more to pass Kevin House (31) for third.

Godwin’s 27th career receiving touchdown last week against Chicago tied him with Mark Carrier for sixth-most in franchise history. His next touchdown reception will pull him even with Joey Galloway (28) for fifth, while two more will tie him with Brate (29) for fourth.

O.J. Howard is up to 15 receiving scores as a Buc, which is good for 15th in team history. One more ties him with Reidel Anthony (16) for 14th, while two more will tie him with Gerald Carter and Keyshawn Johnson (17) for 12th.

Career Receptions

Godwin has 286 career receptions, tying him with Kevin House for seventh-most in franchise history. With 13 more, he moves ahead of Keyshawn Johnson (298) for sixth.

Brate’s 234 career receptions have him 14th on the team’s all-time list, and he needs six more to pass Gerald Carter (239) for 13th.

Career Touchdowns (Total)

With three touchdowns last week against the Bears, Mike Evans has 69 total touchdowns in his career. He needs three more to take the franchise record from Mike Alstott (71).

Career Sacks*

Jason Pierre-Paul’s two sacks last week tied him with Brad Culpepper (33) for seventh-most in Bucs history. He needs two more to pass Chidi Ahanotu (34.5) for sixth.

Shaquil Barrett picking up a sack of his own also pulled him into a tie with Culpepper and Pierre-Paul. That obviously means he is also 1.5 away from passing Chidi Ahanotu (34.5) for sixth.

Lavonte David’s 24 career sacks have him 2.5 away from passing Greg Spires (26) for 12th-most in team history and tying Broderick Thomas (26.5) for 11th-most.

(Bucs Communications)

*Sacks did not become an official stat until 1982.

Career Passes Defended*

David’s 53 passes defended in his career is good for sixth-most in franchise history. With two more, he passes Aqib Talib (54) for fifth.

*Passes defended did not become an official stat until 1999.

Career Interceptions

With 12 career interceptions, David is tied with Mark Robinson, Dwight Smith and Jeris White for 12th-most in team history. His next one will give him sole possession of 12th.

Career Forced Fumbles

David currently shares the franchise record for career forced fumbles with Derrick Brooks (24). One more will give him the record for himself.

Career Punts Downed Inside the 20-Yard Line

With one punt downed inside the 20 last week, Bradley Pinion now has 48 such punts in his Buccaneer career. That ties him with Dave Green for ninth-most in franchise history, and he now needs eight more to pass Tommy Barnhardt (55) for eighth. (Bucs Communications)

Career Games Played

If Lavonte David is able to suit up and return from his ankle injury on Sunday, it will be his 143rd career game. That will move him one closer to passing Shelton Quarles (148) for eighth-most in Buccaneer history.

Sunday will mark William Gholston’s 127th career game with Tampa Bay, moving him closer to passing Brian Kelly and Demar Dotson (130) for 12th-most in team history.

Career Starts

If David is able to start against the Saints, it will be his 143rd career start, which would leave him three away from passing Tony Mayberry (145) for fourth-most in team history. (Bucs Communications)

NFL History

**All statistics and records come from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.**

Career Touchdown Connections (Regular Season)

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have connected for 88 regular season touchdowns in their careers. With two more touchdowns, they’ll pass Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates (89) for second-most by a duo in NFL history. (Bucs Communications)

Career Touchdown Connections (Including Postseason)

Including the playoffs, Brady and Gronkowski have linked up for 102 touchdowns. They need 13 more touchdowns to pass Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (114) for the most by a duo in league history. (Bucs Communications)

Career Games With 3+ Passing Touchdowns

Last Sunday was Brady’s 97th career game with three-plus passing touchdowns, tying him with Drew Brees for the most such games in NFL history. If he can throw for three or more touchdowns on Sunday, he’ll break the record against Brees’ former team.

Career Receiving Touchdowns

Rob Gronkowski’s 90 career receiving touchdowns are the 13th-most in NFL history. He needs two more to pass Isaac Bruce (91) for 12th.

Career Receiving Yards By a Tight End

Gronkowski’s 8,668 receiving yards are the sixth-most by a tight end in NFL history. With 16 more yards, he passes Greg Olsen (8,683) for fifth. (Bucs Communications)