NFC South celebration on hold as error-prone Bucs falter vs. Saints First comes the celebration and then the hangover. The Bucs got it backward. Perhaps they toasted their four-game win streak too much before Sunday's New Year's Eve game against the Saints. What they thought would be their coronation as NFC South champions for a third straight year turned out to be a 23-13 loss that featured poor energy, effort and execution. "It didn't matter who we played today," said coach Todd Bowles, solemnly. "A good team. A bad team. A college team. A high school team. We wouldn't have won today." Not only did the Bucs (8-8) not win, but they also didn't really compete until the issue was more or less decided. Tampa Bay turned the football over four times, including two interceptions by Baker Mayfield. The Bucs trailed 20-0 and 23-7 until Mayfield connected with Chris Godwin on a 47-yard touchdown pass with 97 seconds remaining in the game. On the two-point conversion try, the Bucs quarterback suffered a late hit from Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu that left him with sore ribs, but initial X-rays were negative. Fortunately for the Bucs, they were playing with some house money Sunday and therein possibly was the problem. Even though they share the same record with the Saints, a win over the 2-14 Panthers next week would still give the Bucs the division title. Carolina was shut out 26-0 by Jacksonville on Sunday. Unfortunately, the Bucs cannot make the playoffs as a wild card. It's win or go home. The Bucs played a little better in the second half and Mayfield wound up passing for 309 yards and two touchdowns. But they also saw running back Rachaad White fumble away the ball after a 16-yard run in the third quarter. One play in the second half epitomized the Bucs' performance Sunday. Mayfield found rookie Trey Palmer streaking behind the defense and connected on a 54-yard pass. With no defenders between him and end zone, Palmer lost his balance and the ball at the New Orleans 13-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Palmer also figured into Mayfield's first interception of the game. Even though the Bucs led in total yards 349-310, the outcome was never in doubt. They were only 2-of-8 on third down and they started the game on offense by going punt, field goal, punt, punt. Afterward, the Bucs took turns trying to describe the opportunity they squandered. "Very disappointing. We knew what was at stake and we came out flat on both sides of the ball," linebacker Lavonte David said. "All three phases. It's something we've got to take on the chin. They came out and they beat us. We've definitely got to get better. We weren't ready. With everything at stake, we weren't ready. I wasn't ready as a leader and to get everybody going. We've definitely got to get everybody for next week." At halftime, left tackle Tristan Wirfs said he tried to speak some life back into the Bucs in the locker room. ' 'It's all 22 of us. All 11 guys on offense, all 11 guys on defense. There's nobody to point the finger at,' " he said. "We've all got to be better." Bowles didn't just put Sunday's collapse on the players. Whatever game plan offensive coordinator Dave Canales had for the Saints, it wasn't nearly good enough. Neither was Bowles' defense, which allowed tight end Juwan Johnson to catch eight passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Tight end/running back Taysom Hill had the other score on a 22-yard strike from Derek Carr. "Coaches got to come up with a better game plan on both sides of the ball," Bowles said. "Players got to play it better. We were off-kilter from the start. They did a good job of the driving down the field, keeping us off-balance. They did a good job getting turnovers. They did what they were supposed to do when they came in here and we didn't." David, who went his first eight seasons in the NFL without sniffing the playoffs, knows these opportunities are rare. "You only get these opportunities once in a lifetime. These opportunities don't come around often," he said. "You've got to know what's at stake. You've just got to be better. You can't take this stuff for granted. You worked so hard to get here just to let it go like that." Wirfs shook his head while he dressed. He wasn't in the mood to spare anyone's feelings after the game, either. "It's unacceptable, especially at this point in the season in a game like this," Wirfs said. "Got to do everything we can to get it fixed. ... Not a fun way to spend New Year's Eve. It sucks." Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 1 January 2024