Bucs 51, Saints 27 – Bucs defeat New Orleans Saints in Week 6

On the Saints’ first offensive possession, the defense recorded a takeaway that halted the home team’s momentum. Tykee Smith forced the ball out of Chris Olave’s hands and covered the Saints receiver. Antoine Winfield Jr., returning from a foot injury in Week 6, recovered the football and returned it 58 yards for a Tampa Bay touchdown, giving the Bucs an early 14-0 lead in the Superdome.

On the next drive, after Mike Evans drew a pass interference flag on Paulson Adebo, Carl Granderson was warned two plays later for unnecessary roughness. A flea flicker took Sean Tucker 15 yards on the trick play, but Mayfield’s pass to Evans on third down fell incomplete. Chase McLaughlin hit a 26-yard field goal to give the Bucs a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.

On the ensuing drive, after a 16-pointer for Spencer Rattler on a scramble and a 13-yard gain for Foster Moreau, Calijah Kancey dropped Alvin Kamara for a loss. After Kamara was stopped by Yaya Diaby on third down, the Saints were forced to kick a field goal early in the second frame, making the score 17-3.

The Bucs’ next drive began with consecutive penalties, including too many men on the field and a false start. After a couple of incompletions against Evans and Godwin, an unnecessary roughing penalty against the Bucs stalled the drive on third down. Rashid Shaheed then fended off Jake Camarda’s 47-yard punt, which he returned 64 yards for a Saints touchdown.

Tampa Bay’s next drive was cut short when Paulson intercepted Adebo Mayfield at the Tampa Bay 30-yard line. He returned the ball from 17 yards, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Alontae Taylor set the Saints back 15 yards. New Orleans was unable to score after Vita Vea sacked Rattler on third down, setting up Grupe for a 29-yard field goal.

A turnover promptly ended the Bucs’ next drive. Mayfield’s pass to Jalen McMillan was intercepted by Johnathan Abram at the Tampa Bay 40-yard line. He returned the ball from 30 yards to the 10 yards and the Saints conceded a score. Rattler connected with Bub Means for a 10-yard score, giving the Saints a 20-17 lead. The Buccaneers immediately responded with a touchdown of their own. A 39-yard gain from Ryan Miller put the Bucs in positive field position and Tucker took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a six-play, 76-yard scoring drive. He maneuvered around traffic and found the end zone.

The Saints returned the ball with a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive. Starting on second-and-seven, Rattler found Moreau sitting in a zone over the middle of the field and the Saints tight end gained 41 yards on a catch-and-run, bringing the home team to the seven-yard line. Alvin Kamara finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown. New Orleans took a three-point lead in the offensive shootout before the two-minute warning.

The Bucs’ next drive was interrupted by an interception. Bryan Bresee intercepted Mayfield’s pass intended for Cade Otton and Cam Jordan intercepted the ball at the New Orleans 40-yard line, putting Rattler and Co. right back on the field. The Saints were unable to gain a scoring advantage after the Bucs mounted an effective pressure package on third down. Antoine Winfield Jr. and Lavonte David came flying in and forced a missed throw from the rookie.

After halftime, rookie Tykee Smith forced another fumble, which Zyon McCollum recovered. After review, the play was ruled an incomplete pass, resulting in a punt. The Saints defense forced a quick three-pointer and the Bucs followed with a Camarda punt. The Bucs defense applied the pressure on the ensuing drive as NO Rattler was picked off by KJ Britt and Chris Braswell on first down for a loss of nine yards, and on the next play Logan Hall and Calijah Kancey got involved and shared one Sack for a three-point loss that led to a third-and-22 and eventually a punt.

The Bucs offense followed with a touchdown. Godwin completed a screen 55 yards, culminating in a score. He caused the first defender to miss the ball and retreat inside to allow an open shot into the end zone. The RAC artist used his physical abilities in the open field and gave Tampa Bay a five-point lead.

On the Saints’ next drive, a 30-yard gain by Johnson was wiped out due to an illegal changeup and the subsequent replay on second down. An incompletion on third down set up a punt by Matthew Hayball. The Bucs’ ensuing drive ended after a second-down sack by Willie Gay on Mayfield and a third-down scramble by Mayfield that narrowly failed to score. The Bucs defense managed a takeaway on the ensuing drive, this time by McCollum at the Tampa Bay 42-yard line. He intercepted Rattler’s pass intended for Shaheed and made a sensational diving grab. Bucky Irving continued the outstanding trend for Tampa Bay with a 31-yard run. He quickly jumped outward with a side punch, throwing a deadly stiff arm into the mix. Otton capped the five-play, 58-yard drive with a touchdown. Under duress, Mayfield threw a low dart on No. 88 right at the numbers as he fell to the ground, extending the visiting team’s lead to 37-27.

The Bucs’ defense then forced a Saints three-and-out, including a sack by Lavonte David on first down. Tampa Bay’s offense put the exclamation point on the game with a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Irving. A few plays earlier, the rookie running back took the Bucs from an 18-yard screen to the New Orleans eight-yard line. The Saints defense had no answer to the Bucs’ perimeter attack.

The defense responded quickly and Smith intercepted Rattler at the Tampa Bay 36-yard line. On the very next play, Tucker passed through the B gap and scored a 36-yard gain after the cut. He capped the six-play, 64-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown, giving the Bucs a convincing 51-27 victory.