Despair quickly gives way to hope with Bucs’ 26-19 win over Saints Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune, published 21 September 2015 And just like that, what was so sour seems a little sweeter. Where there was concern, there is a budding confidence. And a season is back off the brink. Granted, it’s only one victory — one the Buccaneers nearly let slip through their hands — but for a team already facing a crossroads not just in its season but its long-range development, the 26-19 victory Sunday against the Saints at the Superdome has the ability to put Tampa Bay back on the right path. Put quite simply, the Bucs on Sunday were everything they thought for months they could be, and everything they weren’t throughout their demoralizing 42-14 loss to the Titans in last week’s season opener. “Yeah, it’s only one win, but one win is all it takes to get that bad taste out of your mouth,’’ defensive tackle and co-captain Gerald McCoy said. “One win like that and you can forget all about last week.’’ The Bucs created some indelible images while giving away that season opener to the only other team to finish 2-14 last year. But Sunday’s win should change the narrative around the team a little bit. All last week, after hope had given way to despair, fans wondered aloud if coach Lovie Smith should be on the hot seat, if his defense still worked and if the Bucs had taken the wrong quarterback with the first pick in the draft. In Smith’s mind, though, is a recipe for success. And in beating an NFC South division opponent for the first time since he became Tampa Bay’s coach last season — snapping losing streaks of eight games against NFC South teams and seven games against the Saints — the Bucs displayed all its necessary ingredients. There was consistent pressure from the defensive front four, which produced three sacks, including two sack-fumbles, and three of those takeaways Smith is always talking about. There was a big special teams play — a blocked extra point by William Gholston — and clutch play from rookie quarterback Jameis Winston in one of those situations that tends to define quarterbacks. Trailing 7-3 after a New Orleans touchdown, Winston took over with 1:15 to play in the second half, then answered critics by leading a six-play drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson for a 10-7 lead. Tampa Bay never again trailed. “That was critical,’’ said Winston, who completed 14 of 21 passes for 207 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions for a 114.6 passer rating. “Vincent came through for us again. And just to see it all come to fruition there. No, it wasn’t the end of the game, but it was the end of a half and at the end of the day, that really helped us.’’ Winston started the second half the same way, driving the Bucs 80 yards in four plays and scoring on a 1-yard jaunt into the end zone for a 17-7 lead. Then the takeaways started to come. Safety Chris Conte intercepted a Brees pass that he quickly handed off to cornerback Alterraun Verner, who returned it 28 yards to the Saints 48-yard line. Cornerback Sterling Moore punched the ball of out receiver Willie Snead’s arm, creating a fumble recovered by safety D.J. Swearinger at the Bucs 40-yard line. Both led to Kyle Brindza field goals and a 23-7 lead with 2:20 left in the third quarter. After New Orleans cut the deficit to 23-19, another takeaway helped the Bucs create some breathing room. Conte spun running back Mark Ingram around on an attempted tackle, forcing the ball to fly out of Ingram’s hands. Tackle Henry Melton fell on the loose ball just before sliding out of bounds. “From my old days as a running back, I knew I was going to slide,” Melton said. “But I wanted to make sure I had my body inbounds before I did. I knew I had it. I knew I didn’t bobble it.” The Bucs nearly bobbled this victory, which wasn’t secured until Bradley McDougald came down with a Brees pass into the end zone on the last play. In the end, though, they secured more than just a victory. “Like coach said all week, this was a crossroads game as far as how we wanted to be known as a franchise,’’ defensive tackle and co-captain Clinton McDonald said. “Do we want to drop into an 0-2 hole, or do we want to be 1-0 in the NFC South, the only club with a division win? Everyone on this football team decided we’re not going to take it — now let’s go out and do something about it.’’