Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. helped put the Buccaneers up 28-14 in the fourth quarter. Godwin caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield, then happened to be on the receiving end of a two-point conversion pass. But the Falcons closed the gap to 28-26 later in the fourth quarter.
Because Godwin completed this feat, he added his name to a list of NFL players who had completed the “Octopus.”
What Does The Term ‘Octopus’ Mean In NFL?
The term “octopus” in the NFL world dates back to a “Sports Illustrated” story in 2019 from writer Mitch Goldich. An “octopus” takes place when a player not only scores a touchdown, but also is part of a two-point conversion on the same scoring drive. In that case, a player scores eight points for his team.
Godwin got clear in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield, then Mayfield found the star wideout open in the end zone for the two-point conversion. That’s how Godwin scored his eight points right there.
Chris Godwin Jr. extends the @Buccaneers lead!
ATLvsTB on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/56alPduivJ— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2025
For a complete list of “Octopus” scorers, an NFL Octopus Tracker is provided by Pro Football Reference. Godwin now finds his name among a long list of “Octopus” scorers.
But Godwin isn’t the only Tampa Bay player to post an “Octopus” this season. Teammate Emeka Egbuka completed the feat as well. In fact, when Egbuka pulled it off, he hadn’t heard about the term at the time. The rookie scored his “Octopus” on Oct. 5 against the Seattle Seahawks.
In fact, on the same Sunday, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor also put up an “Octopus” in the Colts’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to the NFL Octopus Tracker, the earliest recorded instance of the “Octopus” goes back to 1994, when the NFL first introduced the two-point conversion.
Who posted the first “Octopus” play recorded by this tracker? NFL fans have to go all the way back to Sept. 11, 1994. Ironically, two NFL players achieved the feat in two different games on the field. The New Orleans Saints’ Torrance Small did it against Washington, and Rob Moore of the New York Jets did it against the Denver Broncos.
According to the tracker data, Godwin’s “Octopus” becomes the 200th recorded on the tracker at this point. But there’s still time in the 2025 NFL season for another player to try and score the eight-point trick, too.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
