Jalen McMillan points the way as Bucs beat Saints to clinch NFC South Jalen McMillan had his index finger taped and didn't realize he had made the motion of shooting a gun when he saw the penalty flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. On the one hand, he had helped the Bucs convert a ridiculous fourth-and-8 situation. The remarkable catch for 33 yards would have given the Bucs first and goal at the Saints' 9, needing a touchdown to take the lead. But McMillan's penalty backed them up to the 24-yard line before Luke Goedeke's flag for holding cost them 10 more yards. On the sideline, McMillan paced, turning that finger and pointing it at himself. "I mean, shoot. I messed up," McMillan said. "I shouldn't have done that. I mean, my finger was taped so I didn't really think about it, but when I saw it, I knew I messed up. But I kept my composure and at the end of the day, that's football. There's going to be highs and lows." McMillan didn't have to wait long to scale the summit of Sunday's 27-19 win over the Saints. On the next play after Goedeke's miscue, the rookie from Washington got free on a scramble drill and made a toe-tapping catch of a 32-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield. Those plays gave the Bucs a 20-19 lead and paved the way for the team's fourth straight NFC South title, the third under Todd Bowles. They earned the No. 3 seed in the NFC and will host the Commanders in a wild-card game. "(I had) outside leverage with the nickel (defensive back)," McMillan said. "I knew I had a flag route, so I went inside and gave him a little nod at the top and Baker trusts me with the ball and I knew I had to come down with it however way." On a day when the Bucs had to scratch and claw against an undermanned Saints team to improve to 10-7 and reach the playoffs, McMillan's back-to-back catches were the biggest plays of the game. There were other heroes to be sure. Baker Mayfield passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns, but he really poured his heart out of his legs, running for a career-high 68 yards. Of course, the loudest and proudest ovation came when the Bucs used their final snap before the kneel down for Mike Evans to make history. Needing 5 yards to tie Jerry Rice for an NFL-record 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, Evans caught a pass from Mayfield for 9 yards as the Bucs sideline and Raymond James Stadium erupted. "We already knew what we were going to do," McMillan said. "Mike was on the flat route. I just knew I had to take my guy inside and have his eyes on me. We knew we had to get Mike that one play and we did. That's who Mike is. Day in and day out, he brings intensity and he's the same guy every day and I'm trying to follow his footsteps and hopefully I can do what he does." The ascendance of McMillan has become a huge part of this season's plot. When Chris Godwin was lost to a season-ending dislocated ankle in a loss to the Ravens on Oct. 21, the first of four straight defeats, the third-round pick had only six catches, and his one touchdown came in the season opener against the Commanders. But in the past five games, McMillan has 24 receptions for 316 yards and seven touchdowns. "You know, he's matured," Bowles said. "Even him getting the penalty, he acknowledged it was on him. He had his fingers taped. It wasn't really a gun salute. He was pointing it forward, but I told him the refs can't see the tape on his fingers. He came back from the penalty to get the touchdown and I thought that was huge growth for him." Mayfield finished the regular season with exactly 4,500 yards passing and 41 touchdowns. Thanks to Mayfield's wheels, the Bucs rushed for 179 yards Sunday. The defense couldn't get off the field in the first half and the Saints ran 42 offensive plays to Tampa Bay's 23. On Saturday, the Bucs learned safety Jordan Whitehead was involved in a serious car accident on his way to practice and sustained a neck fracture. He's expected to make a full recovery but likely will not return this season. Antoine Winfield Jr. missed his ninth game Sunday, and safety Mike Edwards had to leave in the second half with cramps. Not only that, but there were hurricanes Helene and Milton in September/October, the last of which forced the Bucs to relocate to New Orleans for a week. "It feels great," Bowles said of the division title. "We went through a lot of ups and downs this year, a lot of injuries. Guys fought hard. We went through a hurricane by the way. With a lot of guys missing on both sides of the ball, it's even more gratifying throughout the year for us to come out on top this way." Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 6 January 2025