The Tampa Bay Buccaneers followed up a rousing Week Four win over Philadelphia with a short-week trip to Atlanta, and unfortunately couldn't hold onto a late lead in a 36-30 overtime loss. Now they have a long weekend to rest and consider how to get their season's momentum back with a second straight game against an NFC South foe.
The Buccaneers travel to New Orleans in Week Six to take on a Saints team that is 2-2 after its first four games. The game will be played at the Superdome on Sunday, October 13, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. It will be broadcast by Fox.
"I think first and foremost, everybody needs to take this time to get healthy," said quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw three touchdown passes and finished with a 137.5 passer rating in Atlanta. "We had a lot of guys go down tonight. We were already a little banged up, so everybody needs to be pros, take care of their bodies and just regroup. Get back to the basics and just execute. I think that offensively, we'll look back at the tape and realize that we didn't exactly execute in the second half."
Indeed, the Bucs will be hoping that the "mini-bye" that follows the physical toll of a Thursday-night week will lead to several key players returning to action. Pass-rushing defensive lineman Calijah Kancey has yet to play this season due to a calf injury suffered in a practice, while All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) and starting right tackle Luke Goedeke (concussion) have been out since sustaining injuries in Week One. In addition, safety Jordan Whitehead left Thursday's game with a groin injury. Wideouts Trey Palmer (concussion) and Jalen McMillan (hamstring) could be candidates to return, as well.
The Buccaneers are 3-2 and tied with the Falcons for first place in the NFC South. The 2-2 Saints could also join that group with a win in Kansas City on Monday night. The Buccaneers feel like they missed a chance to take control of the division on Thursday in Atlanta, but they are still confident they can contend for the playoffs.
"We had opportunities on both sides of the ball," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "We didn't finish. Did some good things. We did a lot of bad things to lose the ball game. So, we'll get some rest, we'll some guys healthy, and we'll get ready for next week. We've got a good football team. We didn't finish the game."
