In dramatic fashion against their division nemesis, the Buccaneers exited the Superdome on Sunday afternoon with a convincing 51-27 decision over the Saints. The Bucs' scored on their opening possession and raced to a 17-0 first quarter lead. After surrendering 27 points in a turnover and penalty-laden second quarter, Tampa Bay put up 27 unanswered points in the second half. The Buccaneers finished the matchup with the most net yards in a single game in franchise history (594) and the third-most rushing yards (277) in a game in team annals. With the victory, Tampa Bay became just the fifth team in NFL records to total 300-plus passing yards, and 275-plus rushing yards in a game, joining Miami in Week Three (2023), San Francisco in Week Five (2012), Dallas in Week One (1978) and Green Bay in Week Nine (1962). The Saints were heading into the Week Six division showdown as the NFL's best red zone defense and the Bucs put on a clinic.
The Buccaneers were displaced due to Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Wednesday evening in Florida. Tampa Bay relocated to New Orleans on Tuesday morning, taking two charters to transport players, staff, family members and pets. The club conducted practices at Tulane University and underwent meetings in various hotels. The Bucs turned the distractions into fuel, playing for the city of Tampa.
"It makes it extra special for these guys," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "The biggest thing [is] a lot of them were playing with heavy hearts, just seeing what was happening in Tampa Bay. Our hearts pour out to the city. It's a tough city. It's a strong city. We don't know what we're going back to, but in our small part, this time we wanted to win one for the city and we're going to try to help any way we can when we get back. After going through a week like this and coming out on top, it made the guys feel special."
Offensive Surge in NOLA
Baker Mayfield was intercepted three times in an uncharacteristic second quarter, with two resulting from deflected passes. He concluded the day throwing for 325 yards and four touchdowns. His go-to target was Saints' nightmare receiver Chris Godwin. Godwin caught 11 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. On the opening drive, Godwin took a slant underneath versus man coverage and the Saints' defensive back gave inside leverage to Godwin, who took advantage, giving the Bucs' an early 7-0 lead. On the second touchdown in the third quarter, Godwin ran a jet motion and Mayfield checked it down to the YAC-king. He faked it to Bucky Irving, then hit Godwin, who accelerated for a 55-yard touchdown that put the Bucs in the driver's seat and they never relinquished the lead in New Orleans. Running back Sean Tucker took a short pass 36 yards to the house in the second quarter for his first career touchdown. Tucker blocked then sat down in the flat and Mayfield checked it down. The Saints had a blown coverage and did not employ a peel player to guard the back, and he gave the Bucs' a four-point lead. Tight end Cade Otton added an eight-yard score on third down in the fourth quarter. He ran a seven-stop route and was wide open in the end zone as Mayfield hit him on the numbers. Irving capped things off with a late touchdown, coming off the cusp of a third-and-16 conversion. He gained the first off a screen with perimeter blocking by Otton. Then, following a Tucker 34-yard run off a counter with backside pulling, he ran into the end zone to put the exclamation mark on the win.
The Bucs' run game took significant strides in New Orleans. Starter Rachaad White was out with a hamstring injury, but Tucker accumulated 136 yards on 14 carries, the final a five-yard touchdown run, and rookie Bucky Irving added 81 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The Buccaneers averaged 7.9 yards per carry, the fourth-highest single-game mark in team history.
Defensive Outlook
Following the successful opening possession by the offense, the defense continued the trend. Rookie Tykee Smith punched the ball out of Chris Olave's hands and Antoine Winfield Jr. returned it for a touchdown, providing the Bucs with cushion. Zyon McCollum's interception in the fourth quarter sparked the Buccaneers' three-touchdown surge. Rashid Shaheed, the intended target, was behind McCollum and Spencer Rattler did not put enough force on the throw. Smith put on a show, grabbing an interception in the fourth quarter as Todd Bowles dropped seven. Smith was all over the field in the division battle, making plays from sideline to sideline. Smith posted a quarterback hit and two passes defensed. Veteran Lavonte David led the team with nine tackles and added his third sack of the season off a loop around. Bowles was relentless on Rattler in the second half with creative pressures and defensive linemen Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and Will Gholston recording sacks. Outside linebacker Chris Braswell and inside linebacker K.J. Britt had a combined sack, as well.
Rattler made his rookie debut for the Saints as a starter in place of injured quarterback Derek Carr and he showcased his ability to make plays downfield off bootlegs – similar to what he did at Oklahoma. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Bowles rattled the rookie – pun intended – in the second half and Rattler was 11-of-26 for 103 yards, one touchdown and two picks after the intermission. The Saints were outscored by 27 points in the second half as the Bucs' defense put on the clamps.
