It was a record-setting day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who blew out the New Orleans Saints 50-27 on Sunday afternoon to earn their fourth win of the season.
What started as a 17-0 Buccaneers lead quickly dissipated as Baker Mayfield threw two interceptions, and the Bucs defense couldn’t get a stop as the Saints came back to take a 20-17 lead.
Both teams exchanged touchdowns, and the Saints took a 27-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Buccaneers Come Out Focused In Second Half
It was all Buccaneers in the second half. They scored 25 unanswered points and kept the Saints off the scoreboard in the 50-27 win.
The Buccaneers set a new franchise record with 594 total yards, passing for 317 yards and running for 277 yards on the day.
The 277 yards on the ground were the third most in team history.
As every Buccaneer fan watched this game, we asked ourselves the same questions regarding the Buccaneers’ running game: Where has this attack been all year?
Sean Tucker ran for 136 yards, averaging 9.7 yards per carry, and Bucky Irving ran for 81 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
Rachaad White has run for 181 yards in five games on the season. I think most fans would be okay with Tucker and Irving as RB1 and RB2 and bringing White off the bench.
Todd Bowles talked about the outstanding performances of Tucker and Irving.
“For guys like that to be able to step in and play like that, that’s more than just a next-man-up mentality. That was a huge jump he just took today, and I’m really, really happy for him. We’ve got a lot of competition in that room. We’ve got guys that can tote the rock, and when the offensive line is blocking like that, hats off to those guys. Especially late in the game, when they know we’re running the ball, they’re loading the box, there’s going to be some guys that are unblocked. For them to make people miss and make those explosive plays was huge.”
Granted, neither Tucker nor Irving are good receivers as White is out of the backfield, but with some work, who’s to say that Tucker or Irving can’t develop into a decent receiver?
Robert Hainsey filled in for starter Graham Barton at center, and the offensive line never missed a beat.
After halftime, the defense turned up the heat on Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler and shut out the Saints the rest of the way.
Baker Mayfield Struggled In The First Half
Baker Mayfield did not have one of his best days, but he still did enough to secure a Buccaneer win. Mayfield completed 24/36 passes for 325 yards, with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Mayfield now has 15 touchdowns on the season which leads all NFL players.
All three interceptions came off deflections and came in the first half.
Chris Godwin had another excellent game at wide receiver, leading all Buccaneer receivers with 11 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
With his monster game against the Saints, Godwin now leads the NFL in YAC with 333 yards.
Todd Bowles discussed the team’s growth after the second-quarter collapse against New Orleans.
“It says a lot about the growth of the team, the leadership of the team. Obviously the guys accepted coaching and making adjustments in the second half, and coming out understanding what they’ve got to do. We didn’t finish that game against Atlanta; we finished this one.”
The Buccaneer’s defense had two picks, one by Zyon McCollum and another by rookie Tykee Smith.
Smith also forced a fumble that Antoine Winfield Jr. returned for a touchdown. The defense also registered five sacks.
The Buccaneers played complementary football, which shows that good things will happen when complementary football is played.
The Bucs will get an extra day of rest this week before taking on the Baltimore Ravens next Monday Night at Raymond James Stadium.