Bucs defense picked apart by Brees The Tampa Tribune, published 30 December 2013 Two days after Gerald McCoy and Darrelle Revis received Pro Bowl invitations, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense felt the wrath of New Orleans QB Drew Brees on Sunday. Three losses within a four-game stretch left Brees and the Saints in a foul mood and they took out their frustrations in a 42-17 rout that capped an 8-0 mark at home and secured New Orleans a playoff berth as the NFC's No. 6 seed. “You've got to come with your 'A-plus' game to beat them at their house ... and we didn't,'' Bucs middle linebacker Mason Foster said after New Orleans rolled up 468 yards, averaging 7.5 yards per snap. “They are so well coached and they've got a coach on the field in Brees. It feels like you're always at a disadvantage, especially when Brees gets on that roll.'' The Saints scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions and Brees threw for 321 of his 381 yards in a majestic opening half. He finished with a passer rating of 157.4, just shy of perfection (158.3). “That team's electric,'' Bucs right tackle Demar Dotson said. “They can put up points in a hurry, and that's what they did.'' Brees found 11 different targets in completing 24 of 31 attempts and was sacked only once as Tampa Bay allowed the most points since a 45-24 loss at Atlanta in the 2011 season finale, the last game for Raheem Morris on the Bucs' sideline. The Bucs yielded six completions of 20 yards or more, after allowing only 40 such gains through the air in the first 15 games. “They got the crowd behind them today and that got the Saints pumped up even more,'' Bucs linebacker Lavonte David said. “Man, they're tough to handle in this building.'' The Saints scored only one touchdown in Week 2, but rallied for a 16-14 triumph in Tampa. Returning home Sunday proved a tonic for Brees, who threw 27 touchdown passes and only three interceptions in eight games at the Superdome this year. One bright spot for Tampa Bay's battered unit was the play of defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who posted a career-high 10 tackles. Clayborn had four stops for loss, two QB hits and Tampa Bay's only sack.