Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' banged-up offense did just enough to complement a defense that forced four turnovers and a special teams unit highlighted by Chase McLaughlin's three 50-plus yards to beat the New Orleans Saints, 23-3, Sunday at the Caesars Superdome. The win allows the Buccaneers to take a 6-2 record into their Week Nine bye and improved their lead in the NFC South to two games over the Carolina Panthers. The Bucs are also now 2-0 in division play, including a Week One win in Atlanta.
Mayfield called the Buccaneers a "resilient group" after the win.
"To be 6-2 with all the guys we've had down, all the guys we've had step up, get thrown into the fire there, that's awesome to be able to see. Yeah, the bye week's much-needed for this group. We'll always take the wins, don't get me wrong about that, but offensively that wasn't nearly good enough or close to what we want it to look like. Defensive and special teams played absolutely outstanding and it was really fun to watch on their part."
As of the conclusion of the late-afternoon games on Sunday, the Buccaneers were tied with the Philadelphia Eagles atop the conference standings. Tampa Bay was the only team in the NFC South to win in Week Eight as both the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers suffered blowout losses to the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, respectively. The three points allowed by Tampa Bay's defense was the team's lowest since a 9-0 win over Carolina in the 2023 season finale that clinched a division title.
Playing without Bucky Irving, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch, and with Mayfield managing an injured knee, the Bucs' offense got off to a slow start and did not score any points in the first half. However, Mayfield led the team on four straight scoring drives to start the second half, with the first one ending in RB Sean Tucker's one-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. The next three all resulted in deep field goals from McLaughlin, the long-range specialists who drilled shots of 55, 54 and 52 yards. McLaughlin is the first kicker this season to drill three 50-plus yard field goals in a single game, and he's eight for eight from that range in 2025.
Tampa Bay's defense did the rest, led by seventh-year OLB Anthony Nelson, making his first start of the season in place of an injured Haason Reddick. Nelson gave the Bucs their only points of the first half with a stunning interception returned for a touchdown on a ball he tipped to himself midway through the second quarter. Nelson did a little bit of everything on Sunday afternoon, combinging four tackles with a team-high 2.0 sacks, a forced fumble and that game-changing interception, the first of his career.
"He had two sacks, he had a touchdown, he made some great plays on the edge, setting the edge for us," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "He had a heck of a ballgame. A lot of guys went after the ball today, really concentrated and got the turnovers. They came in bunches and they helped us out every little bit, so those guys did a heck of a job holding that team to three points. Offensively, we've got some work to do … we've got to get healthy. We made the points when they counted so it was a good team win. We held the long enough, only turned it over once I think, and we got more turnovers than they got."
S Antoine Winfield also had a big game, including six tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. He appeared to score on a long return of a fumble caused by Jamel Dean in the second quarter but the touchdown was erased by an inadvertent whistle. Winfield later intercepted a pass in the third quarter and ran it back to the opposing end zone but while the turnover stood the return was nullified because he was down by contact.
Overall, the Buccaneers' defense held the Saints to 275 yards, including just 48 on the ground, and prompted Saints Head Coach Kellen Moore to bench starting quarterback Spencer Rattler in the third quarter in favor of rookie Tyler Shough. Rattler completed 15 of 21 passes for 136 yards and one interception while absorbing three sacks. Shough hit on 17 of 30 throws for 128 yards and one interception and was also sacked twice. Running back Alvin Kamara was limited to 45 yards on eight touches.
Without Irving, the Bucs used a three-man backfield rotation of Tucker, Rachaad White and rookie Josh Williams, who accounted for 88 tough yards on 29 carries. That included two separate series of runs on goal-line stands by the Saints' defense. On the first one, New Orleans stuffed five straight carries – including one that was erased by penalty – from the one-yard line, though Nelson's pick-six moments later rendered that moot. On the first drive of the third quarter, the Bucs failed on two pass attempts and one run from the one-yard line before Tucker punched it in.
"We thought about passes," said Bowles of the first goal-line situation. "They stuffed us pretty good. We've got to be able to get that ball in in less than eight tries. It cost us the first time, the second time we got it in toward the end of our run. We got the ball in there. We've got to have will to finish that down there."
Mayfield finished 15 of 24 for 152 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, and he was sacked three times. Teddy Bridgewater came in to execute the last couple handoffs of the game. Rookie WR Tez Johnson led the team with five catches for 43 yards and TE Cade Otton hauled in four passes for 40 yards. The Buccaneers gained just 212 yards of total offense and had third-down problems for the second week in a row, converting on three of 13 tries. The team hopes a bye week that adds extra time to rest and recuperate will lead to some reinforcements and a more productive offense going forward.
"It will be huge," said Bowles of the Bucs' upcoming bye. "It's halfway through the season. We need it more than anybody. I credit those guys for fighting week-in and week-out, people stepping up and people moving to different positions and helping us win, which you have to do in order to be a good team. So we've done that the first half. We've got to rest up. It's going to be a hell of a second half so we've got to be ready for it."
The Buccaneers' 6-2 record marks their best eight-game start to a season since 2021, when the team actually lost in New Orleans before heading into a Week Nine bye. Tampa Bay has won every game in the Superdome since, marking the first time they've ever won four straight road games against the Saints.
The Bucs took a 7-3 lead into halftime in after a turnover-filled first two quarters. Nelson's pick-six was the only touchdown of the half, though the Bucs thought they had a 14-0 lead after Winfield's long return shortly before halftime. The Saints' offense produced 128 yards and converted four of six third downs but turned it over three tims. The Buccaneers gained just 80 yards on offense and converted just one of six third downs, with Mayfield absorbing three sacks.
The Saints got the opening kickoff out to their 37 and Rattler quickly hit Shaheed on a 10-yard strike over the middle, with S Tykee Smith delivering a big hit at the end and then leaving the field to see the trainers. After a five-yard run by Kamara, Olave threw a swing pass out to the left (technically a run) to Olave, who was dropped in the backfield for a loss of five. On third-and-eight, the Saints picked up the blitz and Rattler had time to hit WR Devaughn Vale on a deep slant for 10 yards an dxa first down at the Bucs' 41. The drive then came to an end when Nelson caught up to Rattler from behind on a scramble and punched the ball loose. David fell on it for the game's first takeaway at the Bucs' 32.
Tampa Bay's offense started off on the ground, giving it to White for consecutive runs of five and nine yards up the middle. White was stopped for no gain on a first down sweep left, however, and T Tristan Wirfs was called for a false start before the next snap. Mayfield's first pass was to Emeka Egbuka on an out route but it was over the receiver's head, leading to third-and-15. The Saints brought a huge blitz and quickly wrapped up Mayfield for a sack of 11 yards. The resulting punt by Riley Dixon was fair caught at the Saints' 28.
OLB Yaya Diaby quickly flushed Spencer out of the pocket on first down and the Saints quarterback settled for a three-yard sideline pass to Olave. A Kamara run up the middle got it to third-and-one and Rattler scrambled to get the first down, just diving across the line. Two plays later, Nelson got to Rattler again on a scramble, dropping him for a one-yard sack to make it third-and-nine. Another third-down blitz got the quarterback out of the pocket but found WR Rashid Shaheed for just enough to move the sticks again. After a late-developing pass over the middle to TE Juwan Johnson for another first down at the Bucs' 41, David stopped RB Devin Neal after a gain of just two yards on a short pass, and Dennis got to Rattler for a sack of 10 yards. On third-and-18, Rattler had to check down to Neal and the play came up 10 yards short. That led to a punt that Kam Johnson fair caught at the Bucs' eight.
Mayfield handed off to White for a gain of htree, then threw a pass to him in the left flat for nine more. Sean Tucker replaced a shaken-up White for the next snap and immediately bounced a handoff out to the left for a gain of nine. Another Tucker tote moved the sticks to the Bucs' 31, and the Saints' committed a neutral zone infraction with two seconds left in the half. The Bucs let the clock run out, the two teams switched end and Mayfield, with instant pressure in his face on a play-action pass, threw incomplete in Egbuka's direction again. A short completion to TE Cade Otton and a White run up the middle left the Bucs a yard short but the Saints were flagged for defensive holding to set up a new set of downs. A tunnel screen to WR Sterling Shepard worked for eight yards, and a draw play to White worked to the tune of five yards. Three snaps later, on third-and-eight, Mayfield had a clean pocket and found Egbuka downfield for a 24-yard gain to the Saints' 16. Tucker came back in and took a handoff all the way down to the one with a 15-yard burst. An offsides call moved the ball up a few inches and erased a first-down run by Tucker that was stopped short. White got the next three carries but didn't get in on any of them. The Bucs went for it on fourth-and-one and Tucker was stone-walled to turn the ball over on downs.
The Saints committed a false start to move the ball closer to their goal line but Rattler got it to Kamara over the middle for a gain of nine. On the next play, Rattler tried to throw a rollout pass to TE Foster Moreau but Nelson reached up with his left hand to bat the pass up, then hauled it in, spinning out of Rattler's tackle attempt to walk it in for a four-yard pick-six.
Neal had trouble fielding the ensuing kickoff and was dropped at the 23, but two plays later Rattler scrambled and found Olave on the right sideline for a gain of 28. An incompletion and a screen to Olave left the Saints in third-and-eight, and a quick reaction by CB Jacob Parrish on a swing pass made it fourth-and-seven. The resulting punt was fair caught at the Bucs' 13.
Tucker had to fight through multiple tackles to get three yards on first down, after which Mayfield and Otton hooked up again for a short game to make it third-and-two. The third down got harder after a second Wirfs false start, and Mayfield was able to escape a sack but couldn't complete his running throw to Otton. After the two-minute warning, Dixon blasted a 58-yard punt and Shaheed got eight yards back to the Saints' 34.
The ensuing drive lasted just one play. Rattler hit Shaheed on a quick slant but Dean punched the ball out and Winfield picked it up off the turf. Winfield ran 53 yards for an apparent touchdown but the return part of the play was brought back due to an inadvertent whistle. Even worse, the Bucs gave the ball right back, as Mayfield was sacked on consecutive plays, losing the ball on the second one. Chase Young recovered for the home team, giving the Saints the ball back at the Bucs' 41. The Saints had 47 seconds to work with and got eight yards on a completion over the middle to Johnson before using their second timeout. Parrish blitzed on the next play and tripped Rattler up for a five-yard sack. New Orleans used its final timeout with 31 seconds left. A 14-yard catch-and-run by Kamara took it dwn to the 30 and Rattler spiked the ball to stop the clock with 11 seconds left. Rattler tried to throw a fly to Shaheed but Zyon McCollum had tight coverage and broke it up. Blake Grupe came on to put the Saints on the board with a 48-yard field goal.
The Bucs got the ball to start the second half, with their opening drive beginning at the 27. Mayfield got the drive started off well with a play-action rollout left and a 16-yard sideline hit to WR Tez Johnson. Two plays later, White took a swing pass out to the left and slipped through a seam for a gain of 17 to the Saints' 37. Mayfield got it down to the 25 by scrambling left and then throwing back to the middle to Johnson for 12 more. After a three-yard Tucker run, Mayfield found Otton wide open on the left side and the tight end dashed toward the end zone and dived over a defender to get the ball down to within inches of the goal line. History nearly repeated itself as the Bucs' first three tries from the one failed, but this time Tucker was able to power over right guard to get the touchdown.
A holding on the ensuing kickoff return forced the Saints to start their first drive of the half at their own 15. The Saints also committed a holding call on their first offensive snap, making it first-and-16, and Rattler's first pass attempt down the left sideline to Olave was incomplete. After a delay-of-game moved the ball back to the five before a scrambling Rattler got the ball to Olave to make it third-and-10. LB SirVocea Dennis stopped Rattler a yard short of the line to gain on a scramble but the Bucs accepted a holding penalty to make it third-and-17. A deep shot to Vele was out of reach and the Saints punted it away, with Kam Johnson getting his return back to the Bucs' 45.
After two-yard gain by rookie RB Josh Williams on his first career carry, Mayfield completed passes of four yards to Egbuka and 11 to Otton, with the latter bouncing off a tackler to gain extra yards. Williams' second carry went for four yards, but his next run came back on a holding call on G Ben Bredeson. After an incompletion in Egbuka's direction left the Bucs in third-and-16. Mayfield got it to the rookie wideout on the next play, but only for seven yards, so the team sent out Chase McLaughlin to try a 55-yard field goal. He drilled it with ease to give the Bucs a 17-3 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Shough came on to direct the next drive, which started at the Saints' 30. His first NFL pass was a quick swing out to TE Taysom Hill for six yards. After a two-yard Kamara run, the Saints burned a timeout before the next snap. After the pause, Hill took a direct snap and powered his way past the line to gain to extend the drive. Another apparent fumble was overturned into an incompletion, and a tunnel screen to Shaheed worked for seven yards. On third down, Shough tried to get the ball to Olave on a short pass out right but Winfield arrived at about the same time as the ball and was able to rip it away from the receiver for an interception.
The Bucs' offense took over on the midfield stripe with a minute and a half left in the third period. White got two up the middle and Egbuka couldn't hold on to an out pass near the left sideline. On third-and-eight, Mayfield leaked out to the right and threw to the middle of the field to Tez Johnson for 14 yards and a first down to bring the quarter to an end. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Mayfield threw deep to Egbuka in the end zone but CB Altontae Taylor just managed to break it up at the last second. Two plays later, on third-and-10, Mayfield tried to find Tez Johnson again over the middle but it went through his hands to bring up fourth down. McLaughlin slipped his 52-yarder inside the right upright to increase the Bucs' lead to 20-3 with 14 minutes left in regulation.
The Saints' next drive started at their 23 and Shough threw a quick out to Olave for nine yards. Shough then tried a deep shot down the left sideline but rookie CB Benjamin Morrison had good coverage and it was incomplete, leading to a short run up the middle by Kamara for a first down. Shough followed with a quick slant to Vele but McCollum got a hand in the way to break it up. Shough escaped a collapsing pocket on second down but slid down for a two-yard gain as the defense converged. On third-and-eight, Shough got the ball to Shaheed but Smith pulled him down two yards shy of the sticks. The Saints went for it on fourth down but Smith was there again and he broke up a pass intended for Johnson.
That gave the ball back to Tampa Bay's offense at the Saints' 44. Tucker bounced a first-down carry around to the right to get seven yards, and two plays later on third-and-three, an underneath handoff to Tucker was stopped for just one yard. McLaughlin simply drilled a 54-yarder to increase the Bucs' lead to 20 points with nine and a half minutes left.
The Saints got the ball out to their 33 on the ensuing kickoff but quickly faced a third-and-three. Shough completed this one by lobbing a 15-yard pass to Johnson. Short passes to Olave and Johnson got the ball across midfield and made it first down at the Bucs' 34. Shough threw quickly downfield in the face of a big blitz and had Shaheed behind the defense but overthrew it. Two plays later, Shough converted a third-and-seven with a dart to WR Brandin Cooks on a quick slant. DL Vita Vea batted the next pass down at the line, and on the next down Nelson broke free into the backfield and combined with Diaby for a 10-yard sack. A quick-hitter to Shaheed on third-and-20 picked up nine and the Saints went for it on fourth down. Quick pressure by Diaby forced the rookie passer to throw a desperation pass out to the left to TE Jack Stoll but it was incomplete for a turnover on downs with five minutes left.
Concerned only about the clock, the Bucs handed off three times to Tucker and Williams and gained six yards before puntin the ball away. Bridgewater replaced Mayfield on the second snap of the drive. Dixon's punt went out of bounds at the Saints' 19.
Shough got the ball to an open Johnson the left sideline but the ball was dropped, and a six-yard catch by Shaheed brought on the two-minute warning. After the break, Shough got the ball to Olave but only for one yard. The Saints kept the offense out on fourth down and Shough scrambled for a first down. Completions of 10 and eight yards to Shaheed sandwiched around a neutral zone infraction on the Bucs got the ball across midfield. The Saints burned their final timeout with 57 seconds left and Shough then scrambled for five yards after being pressured by OLB Chris Braswell. A scrambling incompletion made it fourth down again but Shough converted that one, too, with an 11-yard strike to Cooks. Two plays later, a 16-yard catch by Johnson brought the ball down to the 15 with 10 seconds to go, but an incompletion and a sack split by Logan Hall and Markees Watts brought the contest to an end.
