Antoine Winfield Jr. entered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week Eight game against the New Orleans Saints in search of his first takeaway of the season.
By the time he left the Superdome on Sunday, he had recorded two and came within inches of another.
With the Buccaneers up by seven with just under two minutes remaining in the first half, Saints receiver Rashid Shaheed caught a slant only to have cornerback Jamel Dean punch the ball loose. Winfield alertly reached over a pair of bodies to grab the football and started running the other way. The sixth-year safety ran it back all the way to the end zone, although the refs brought the ball back to the spot of the recovery because of an early whistle.
It was the 10th fumble recovery of Winfield's career, making him the 12th defensive back this century to reach double-digits in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. Every other player on that list has played at least 115 games, while it took Winfield just 76 games to accomplish the feat.
The 2023 first-team Associated Press All-Pro nearly recovered a second fumble a quarter later, when Shaheed put the ball on the ground again. Winfield swooped in to recover, but after a video review, officials decided the pass was incomplete.
Winfield, who also recorded six tackles on the day, would get his second takeaway just two plays later, though.
On third and three, Saints receiver Chris Olave appeared to catch a pass from quarterback Tyler Shough when Winfield came flying in to wrestle the ball away as he fell to the ground. Winfield found his feet and ran toward the end zone, but officials determined he had made contact with Olave on his way to the ground and was down by contact.
It was the Bucs' second interception of the day – outside linebacker Anthony Nelson returned one for a touchdown earlier in the game – and the eighth of Winfield's career. It was also the fourth and final turnover forced by the Bucs, as they held New Orleans to just three points and 275 yards of total offense.
The Bucs now have five multi-takeaway games this season, the most in the NFL.
Winfield's performance was the first two-takeaway game by a Bucs' defender since a December 2023 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That day, it was also Winfield who accomplished the feat, the only other time he's done so in his career.
