Bucs deliver a record-setting performance in wild win over of Saints
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not make Sunday's win over the New Orleans Saints boring. Quite the opposite. The Bucs dispatched of their division rival 51-27 inside of the Superdome. But it was how the Bucs did it and how the game flowed that made this key NFC South tilt undoubtedly the most entertaining game […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not make Sunday's win over the New Orleans Saints boring. Quite the opposite. The Bucs dispatched of their division rival 51-27 inside of the Superdome.
But it was how the Bucs did it and how the game flowed that made this key NFC South tilt undoubtedly the most entertaining game across the league for the early slate.
According to the team, the Bucs' total yardage of 594 set a new franchise record. The 51 points also equals the second-most points in a single game in franchise history.
Rookie Sean Tucker was the story of the day. The rookie got plenty of work in place of the injured Rachaad White, going for 136 yards in 14 carries with a touchdown on the ground and 3 catches for 56 yards and another touchdown in the passing game. Chris Godwin rolled up 125 receiving yards on 11 catches with 2 touchdowns. Baker Mayfield threw for 325 yards with 4 touchdowns and also 3 interceptions.
It's that latter stat where the game really got wild. After the Bucs took a 17-0 first quarter lead – which included a 58-yard fumble return by Antoine Winfield, Jr. in his first action back from injury – the Saints came roaring back with 20 unanswered points to take the lead in the second quarter.
After a New Orleans field goal, the Saints' Rasheed Shaheed returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown to draw to 17-10. They then turned Mayfield interceptions on back-to-back drives – one of which was tipped up and off the hands of Jalen McMillan near the ground – into 10 points. The teams traded touchdowns late in the half, and the Saints led 27-24 going into the break.
That would be it for the Saints on the day, but the Bucs' offense wasn't even halfway to its total yet. After a punt on its opening drive, Mayfield would lead the Bucs on touchdown drives on 4 of their next 5 possessions to retake the lead and slowly pull away. When all was said and done, the Bucs had eclipsed the number you rarely see reached in the NFL: 50.
It was not perfect. It was worrisome for Bucs fans at times, especially after allowing 27 points over an 11-minute span in the second quarter. It was very sloppy at times, with the Bucs committing 12 penalties for 86 yards for the game, most in the first half.
But it was a wild ride that ended up on a high for the Bucs and their fans. And one that will end up, for the time being, etched into the history books of the franchise.
NFL punishes Vita Vea for “violent gesture” ahead of Week 6 matchup against the Saints
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are moving on from the bad Week 5 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but two players are getting one last reminder before Sunday's kickoff against the New Orleans Saints. The NFL fined Vita Vea and K.J. Britt on Saturday for separate reasons and amounts: Vea was fined $14,609 for making a […]
