The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came away with a statement win Sunday afternoon, overcoming a load of first half miscues against the New Orleans Saints. A dominant final 30 minutes saw the Bucs march out with a 51-27 win over their division rival.
Tampa Bay set a record with 594 total yards aided by an outstanding showing on the ground.
The Bucs jumped out to a 17-0 lead, looking sharp on both sides of the ball. Quickly, that lead evaporated after a bevy of Tampa Bay mistakes.
Mayfield threw three interceptions, though two of those came on somewhat unlucky mistakes. But a New Orleans punt return touchdown dramatically shifted momentum and would lead to 27 unanswered points.
The Saints' wave would settle into the third quarter. Tampa Bay and New Orleans would exchange punts before the visitors broke the ice. A short drop off to Chris Godwin escalated to an explosive play, resulting in a 55-yard touchdown.
Tampa moved back into control at 31-27 near the end of the frame. Following that score, Zyon McCollum reeled in an interception of Spencer Rattler. Picking up where they left off, the Bucs' offense churned its way down the field and into the red zone.
Faced with a third down, Mayfield climbed the pocket and darted an eight-yard strike to Cade Otton for his fourth touchdown of the game. Tampa Bay would fail on the two-point conversion, but led 37-27.
The Bucs' defense stepped up again, forcing another three-and-out. This time with the ball, Tampa Bay went in for the kill, using their run game.
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Bucky Irving ended the drive with a one-yard punch-in touchdown, but that score marked the culmination of a dominant effort on the ground. The Bucs amassed 264 rushing yards with third-string back Sean Tucker leading the charge with 136 of those.
Leading 44-27, Tykee Smith jumped a pass intended for Rashid Shaheed, notching the Bucs third takeaway of the game. From there, Tampa Bay exerted even more pressure on a worn out Saints defense.
Tucker would continue his career day, dancing into the end zone for the game's final score and his second of the day.