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Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers got the better of the Saints in Spencer Rattler’s debut as Tampa Bay topped New Orleans, 51-27, in a clash of NFC South foes.
The pair of former University of Oklahoma quarterbacks were part of a seesaw game that produced 51 points in the first half. Mayfield threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns to move Tampa Bay to 4-2. Rattler, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, threw for 243 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions starting in place of the injured David Carr.
The Saints lost their top receiver Chris Olave to a concussion on the team’s opening drive of the game. Olave caught a five-yard pass from Rattler but the ball was punched out and returned 58 yards for a score by safety Antoine Winfield Jr. That defensive score helped Tampa Bay jump out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. However, a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown by Rashid Shaheed sparked the Saints to 20 unanswered points as the New Orleans defense picked off Mayfield three times in the quarter.
NEED FOR SHAHEED ON THE PUNT RETURN
📺: #TBvsNO on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/4GA3addtxU— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
Trailing 27-24 late in the third quarter, Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin caught a short pass from Mayfield, broke several tackles and took it 55 yards to give Tampa Bay the lead for good. Todd Bowles’ defense pitched a shutout of Rattler in the second half to secure the victory.
CHRIS GODWIN OFF TO THE RACES
📺: #TBvsNO on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/EQOnPtCcfO— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
It will be a short week for New Orleans as it hosts the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Tampa Bay will take on the surging Baltimore Ravens next Monday night to close out Week 7.
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Big win for Tampa
Such a gutty win for the Buccaneers given the real-life circumstances for the entire organization. Hurricane Milton’s impact on the Tampa Bay area forced the team and their family members to evacuate to New Orleans ahead of this game. On top of this, the Bucs lost in gut-punching fashion to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime in Week 5.
There are many pluses and minuses for the Bucs in this win: Rushing success, offensive turnover and penalty madness and a big defensive rebound after allowing a 27-point second quarter.
The NFL is unforgiving in the sense that no team is going to give another one a pass regardless of outside circumstances. And while dizzying, Tampa Bay picked up an important win in trying to keep pace with the Falcons and creating distance between the Saints in the NFC South. — Larry Holder, NFL senior writer
Troubling signs for the Saints
After starting with such a bang, the Saints have lost their last four games in a row and there are certainly compounding problems. The defense offered little resistance to the Buccaneers, even though the unit intercepted Mayfield three times. Tampa Bay ran the ball all over a typically stout New Orleans defense. Godwin went bonkers with 125 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Rattler looked sharp at times in making his rookie debut in relief of the injured Carr. Enough where I’m sure Saints fans are leaving the game thinking maybe, just maybe, Rattler could be the quarterback of the future. With no Taysom Hill, losing Olave to a concussion in the Week 6 loss and a shaky offensive line, it’s tough to ask Rattler to carry you to a win right now.
If the Saints defense plays anywhere close to how it performed Sunday, New Orleans’ offense isn’t good enough to overcome a mediocre outing, much less a stinker like in the loss to the Bucs. — Holder
Required reading
- Russini’s what I’m hearing: Saints coaches love them some Spencer Rattler
- Former Buccaneers linemen prioritize mental health with ‘proactive’ post-NFL plan
(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
