Saints Snap Bucs' Win Streak, Deny Division Clinch The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' last day of 2023 was not one of their best. Fortunately, some more opportunities await in the new year. The New Orleans Saints avenged a Week Four loss to the Buccaneers in the Superdome, winning 23-13 at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. The Saints won the turnover battle, 4-0, and kept Tampa Bay's previously red hot offense off kilter for three quarters before denying a late rally. "The coaches have got to come up with a better game plan on both sides of the ball and the players have got to play it better," said Todd Bowles. "We were off kilter from the start. They did a good job manufacturing a [game-opening] drive down the field and keeping us off balance. They did a good job getting turnovers. They did what they were supposed to do, came in here and did it, and we didn't." The loss snapped the Buccaneers' four-game winning streak and dropped their overall record to 8-8. The result, at best, delayed Tampa Bay's attempts to clinch a third-straight NFC South crown – they can still do so with a Week 18 win at Carolina – and it kept the 8-8 Saints alive in the division title hunt. The Saints play the Atlanta Falcons at home next weekend and can claim the division with a win and a Bucs loss to the Panthers. "This was a division game," said T Tristan Wirfs. "This was for a third straight division title. We came out looking like that – that's unacceptable. We've got to do something different. Next week's for all the marbles. There's no next week [after that] for a title. So we have to put it behind us and move forward, look forward to next week and do the best we can to come home with a hat and t-shirt. And it's all 22 of us, all 11 guys on offense, all 11 guys on defense. There's nobody to point the finger out. We've all got to do better." Baker Mayfield threw for 309 yards on 22 of 33 passing, but 180 of it came in the fourth quarter, as did 220 of the Bucs' net yards overall. Mayfield threw touchdown passes of 22 yards to Trey Palmer and 47 yards to Chris Godwin to give him a career-high 28 on the season, but was also intercepted twice. His game had an uncomfortable ending, too, as he took a hard hit on a two-point conversion attempt in the final minutes that clearly had him in significant pain. After the game, he said his ribs were very sore but the initial round of X-rays had come back negative. "They hit us in the mouth from the get-go," said Mayfield. "Not exactly the mentality we wanted to come out. We want to be the more physical team and we weren't today." The Buccaneers only had two drives cross midfield in the first three quarters, and both ended on turnovers. Mayfield was intercepted by CB Alontae Taylor at the Saints' two-yard line in the second quarter and LB Demario Davis recovered a Rachaad White fumble at the Saints' 25 in the third quarter. The Bucs neared midfield early in the fourth quarter but S Jonathan Abram intercepted a tipped pass at across the 50-yard line. Later in the final period, rookie WR Trey Palmer got down to the Saints' 21 but fumbled at the end of a 54-yard reception, with the Saints recovering. Tampa Bay came into the game tied for first in the NFL with a plus-10 turnover ratio but had their first four-turnover game of the season. Tampa Bay's defense did not create a takeaway. The Bucs also saw their recent positive trends on third downs both offensively and defensively turn back in the other direction. Tampa Bay's offense converted on just two of eight third down tries, while the Saints were able to convert eight of 18, with seven of their unsuccessful attempts coming in the fourth quarter against a defense loaded up against the run. New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr completed 24 of 32 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns and the Bucs' defense did not register a single hit on him in the game, as he was run out of bounds on the only sack he took. The last time the Buccaneers' defense went an entire game without a quarterback hit was in 2017. "They had us stopped because the ball was coming out pretty quick," said Bowles. "He wasn't holding the ball long enough for us to get the pass rush, so we tried to cover. I didn't think in the first half we tackled well when the ball wasdumped down there. We cleaned it up some in the second half." Even some of the Bucs' most consistent performers had uneven performances. Punter Jake Camarda, who came into the game ranked fifth in the NFL with a 50.3-yard gross average, had several first-half punts come off his foot badly and finished with an average of 41.4 yards per boot. Mayfield had difficulty getting the ball to TE Cade Otton, who caught just two of his six targets for 10 yards. RB Rachaad White totaled 66 yards from scrimmage, his lowest total since Week 11, and was held out of the end zone for just the second time in the last nine games. Lavonte David led the Bucs' defense with 11 tackles and rookie OLB Yaya Diaby added two more tackles for loss to give him 11 on the season. Rooke OLB Markees Watts registered the Bucs' only sack of the game. The Bucs had difficulty slowing down the Saints' tight ends, as Juwan Johnson set season highs with eight catches and 90 yards, plus the game's first touchdown on the opening drive, and Taysom Hill caught a 22-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. "It was very disappointing," said David. "We knew what was at stake. We came out very flat on both sides of the ball. We've definitely got to learn from it, get better and do better next week. Luckily we've got another opportunity next week." The Saints thoroughly dominated the first half, taking a 17-0 lead into the intermission, with a yardage advantage of 202-44. Tampa Bay's defense couldn't get off the field, as the Saints converted six of nine third down tries, and the Bucs' offense couldn't get into the type of groove it had enjoyed during a four-game winning streak, converting just one of four third-down tries. The Bucs had three first downs at halftime, two of them courtesy of third-down penalties against the Saints. It marked the first time this season that the Buccaneers have been shut out in the first half. The Saints got the ball first, starting at their own 27, with Carr completing a four-yard pass to Johnson after being flushed out to the right. A designed screen right to Johnson followed, picking up 11 yards and a first down. After a pass breakup by CB Zyon McCollum, RB Alvin Kamara made it around right end for 13 yards to the Bucs' 45. White shot a gap to drop RB Jamaal Williams for a loss of two, Carr got four back with a short out to WR Rashid Shaheed. On third-and-seven, the Bucs blitzed from the left but the protection held and Carr threw right to Olave for a first down at the Bucs' 31. Two Williams runs moved the chains again and a rollout pass to Hill put the ball at the 12. Kamara went over right tackle to earn a first-and-goal at the nine, and he got it again on the next play to blast down to the three. He lost a yard on second down but a quick slant to Johnson got the ball into the end zone for the game's first score. The Bucs' first possession came after a touchback and started with White's five-yard run over right guard. A pass over the middle to Otton made it third-and-one but White's attempt to get the last yard failed as he was dropped for a loss of one going to the left. The Bucs had to punt and Shaheed's 16-yard return of a 51-yard punt set the Saints up at their own 32. One run and one catch by Kamara made it third-and-two, but the Bucs sniffed out a tunnel screen to Olave and LB Lavonte David dropped him a yard short of the line to gain. New Orleans sent out its punt team and Lou Hedley angled a bouncing kick out of bounds at the Bucs' 11. The Bucs' offense quickly fell into a third-and-nine and Mayfield was sacked on the next play. However a facemask personal foul on DT Bryan Bresee revived the drive and made it first-and-10 at the 27. However, it was third-and-nine again moments later. This time, Mayfield had time to throw and he fired down the right numbers to Evans for a 33-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter. The Bucs started the second quarter at the Saints' 39 but backed up to the 42 two plays later on an ineligible man downfield penalty when Mayfield threw after a long scramble. Two plays later, on third-and-15 after a false start, WR David Moore couldn't hold on to a hard pass at the sticks but the Bucs were once again rescued by a penalty, this time illegal contact on CB Paulson Adebo. Again owning a first down at the Saints' 39, the Bucs got three yards on a White run by then turned it over when Mayfield threw deep to WR Trey Palmer and it was intercepted by a leaping Taylor at the two-yard line. The Bucs swarmed over two runs to make it third-and-eight, but Carr threw down the right hashes to Johnson, who made a fingertip grab for a first down at the 36. Kamara's next run produced another first down as he pushed through defenders to get 10, and a run over right end put the ball one yard into Bucs territory. A hustle play by OLB Yaya Diaby on a swing pass to Williams resulted in a loss of three, and good coverage on third down allowed OLB Markees Watts to chase Carr out of bounds for a six-yard sack. The Bucs got the ball back at their own 19 but went backwards three yards on a three-and-out thanks to two short Chase Edmonds runs, a false start and a dropped pass by Edmonds that would have come up well short even if caught. The ensuing punt came off the side of Camarda's and rolled to a stop at the Saints' 40. New Orleans immediately got into the Bucs' half of the field with an outlet pass to Johnson that he turned into a 12-yard gain up the right sideline. Two plays later, a Buccaneers blitz disrupted Carr's attempt to get the ball to WR A.T. Perry, making it third-and-seven. Carr had time to throw on the next snap and found TE Foster Moreau for a first down at the Bucs' 32. Stops by DL Calijah Kancey and Zyon McCollum only allowed Kamara to get three yards on his next two carries, and the Saints called a timeout before their third-and-seven attempt. Carr succeeded again, once again by throwing to Johnson, who just got over the line to make it first down at the 22. After the two-minute warning, Carr threw a floater over a blitz to that Hill caught with a leap at the left front pylon. With 1:53 left, the Bucs started a new possession at their 25 but it didn't last long. Mayfield's first pass was broken up by a diving Adebo and his second one was out of WR Chris Godwin's reach on the left sideline. Mayfield tried to scramble on third-and-10 but ran into the clutches of LB Zach Baun for a seven-yard sack. New Orleans called a timeout with 1:39 left in the half before Camarda's punt. Stunningly, Camarda hit another bad one, with the ball rolling out of bounds at the Bucs' 46. WR Lynn Bowden eluded several tacklers on a quick screen right to get six yards and Carr threw incomplete on third down. The Bucs blitzed again but Carr got off a sideline pass to Shaheed that made it first down at the Bucs' 31 with 52 seconds left in the half. A quick pass to Kamara didn't gain any yards but did stop the clock at the 46-second mark. Two plays later, on third-and-six, Carr threw in Johnson's direction again but the tight end couldn't hang on. K Blake Grupe came on to nail a 45-yard field goal to make it 17-0 at the half. The Bucs got the ball to start the second half and came out firing, with Mayfield throwing down the right seam in Cade Otton's direction. Unfortunately, the pass was out of his reach. Two plays later, on third-and-six, Mayfield threw to Evans on a crossing route but Evans couldn't locate the ball and it landed incomplete. Another short punt by Camarda went out of bounds at the New Orleans 34. The Bucs' defense got a three-and-out thanks to a swarming group of tackles. McCollum and Kancey had hard hits on Williams to make it third-and-nine and White dropped FB Adam Prentice five yards short on a reception, leading to a punt. The Bucs started fresh at their own 22 but immediately put the drive in a hole with a Luke Goedeke holding call. White got seven of it back with a short catch-and-run, then took a handoff over left guard for four more. A nifty scramble by Mayfield on third down gave him a chance to get off a low throw to Palmer, who caught it just past the first-down marker. White dashed over left tackle for a quick six yards to the Bucs' 39, and Edmonds found the left edge on the next snap for 10 more. Another run by Edmonds picked up another eight, but disaster struck on the next play. White actually got free around right end for an 18-yard gain but he lost control of the ball just before going out of bounds and Davis recovered it inbounds. Davis was able to fight his way up the sideline for a 21-yard return to the New Orleans 45. Carr started the ensuing possession by hitting Olave on a crosser for 14 yards. Two plays later, the Saints had a perfect screen call over a blitz and Williams got 12 yards. Fifteen more were tacked on thanks to a horse collar flag on Anthony Nelson and that the ball at the Bucs' 14. Tampa Bay's defense held there, with DL Vita Vea stopping Williams at the 10 on third down. Grupe came on to tack on three with a 28-yard field goal to make it 20-0 with 4:25 left in the third quarter. After a touchback, the Bucs got a first down on Godwin's 18-yard catch over the middle on second down. Mayfield once again got away from what looked like a sure sack to get the ball out to White for a gain of seven. However, pressure came right up the middle on the next play and Bresee dropped him for a 10-yard sack. Mayfield had to settle for a checkdown to White on third-and-long and it was nine yards short of the line to gain. Camarda's punt and an 11-yard return by Shaheed put the Saints at their 19. Two Williams runs up the middle made it third-and-five and closed out the third quarter. After the teams switched sides, Carr kept the drive moving with an eight-yard sideline strike to Johnson. Content to drain the clock, the Saints ran Williams two more times and got four yards. Carr tried to get it to Johnson on the sideline again but this one was well covered and incomplete. Hedley's punt went out of bounds at the Bucs' 29. Mayfield threw short passes to Edmonds and Otton for a first down at the 35, and two plays later Edmonds caught a quick pass on a crossing route and got another set of downs at the 45. However, his next throw was tipped at the line by DE Tanoh Kpassagnon and then intercepted at the Saints' by Abram. Dean broke up an attempted quick pass to Shaheed and DL Will Gholston wrapped up Hill on a QB keeper to make it third-and-eight. Carr threw over the middle towards Johnson but White dived to break it up. Hedley's punt went out of bounds at the Bucs' nine with 10:30 left. Mayfield threw over the top to Evans on a corner route to get a quick 35 yards, and two plays later Edmonds made a good cut on a screen right to get all the way to the Saints' 42. Another tipped ball at the line fell incomplete and the Bucs soon found themselves in a third-and-12. Mayfield got half of it over the middle to White, then converted the fourth-and-six by hitting Godwin for 18. Mayfield then completed the drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Palmer. Shaheed got the ensuing kickoff out to the Saints' 37 and New Orleans got back into Tampa Bayr territory with a 12-yard Johnson catch and a 17-yard Williams run. Three plays later, it was third-and-seven at the Bucs' 31 and the Saints ran a fullback draw with Prentice to get the yardage needed as the clock ran below five minutes. Three runs killed another minute and two Bucs timeouts, making it fourth-and-inches at the 15. The Saints sent out Grupe for a third field goal, which he made from 38 yards out after a false start. Needing to score fast, Mayfield hit Palmer on a deep fly but the receiver stumbled making the catch and lost the ball when he hit the ground at the Saints' 21. Since he hadn't been touched, it was a fumble and the Saints recovered at their 13. Three runs ran the clock down almost to the two-minute warning and led to a punt. The Bucs had 1:52 left when they got the ball back at their own 46 and they only needed 15 seconds to score again. After a seven-yard pass to Edmonds, Mayfield loaded up again, throwing deep to Godwin on a corner route. Godwin caugt the pass in stride, turned upfield and made it all the way to the end zone for a 47-yard score. The Buccaneers went for two to try to make it an eight-point game, and appeared to succeed on Mayfield's scrambling throw to Godwin. However, replay review of the played showed Godwin not getting a second foot inbounds. The Bucs got another crack at it thanks to a roughing the passer call on S Tyrann Mathieu, which was the play on which Mayfield hurt his ribs. He came back onto the field for the second try but his pass in Evans' direction was grabbed by Adebo instead. The Bucs tried an onside kick but failed and Carr kneeled three times to drain the clock. Scott Smith, Buccaneers.com, published 1 January 2024