The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the division-rival New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome, 23-3, despite quarterback Baker Mayfield's streak of 13 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass coming to an end. It was just the fourth time in 42 starts for the Buccaneers that Mayfield hasn't connected on a scoring pass; perhaps surprisingly, the team is 3-1 in those contests.
In this case, the Buccaneers made up for an offense that produced season lows in yards (212) and first downs (14) by forcing four turnovers on defense and getting plenty of help from their long-range placekicker, Chase McLaughlin.
The Buccaneers' lead was just 7-3 coming out of halftime but the offense put together its lone touchdown drive to start the third quarter, ending in Sean Tucker's one-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. After that, Tampa Bay's next three drives all ended in field goals, all of the 50+-yard variety. In rapid succession, McLaughlin increased the Bucs' lead from 11 points to 20 by drilling 55, 52 and 54-yarders, without a miss.
McLaughlin has now made all eight of his attempts this season from 50 or more yards, including a team-record 65-yard blast in Week Four against Philadelphia. He has the most successful field goals from 50 and beyond in the NFL this season. Since joining the Buccaneers in 2023, he is 23 of 26 from that range, for a success rate of 88.5%. In his career, which has included action with six other teams, McLaughlin is 40 of 47 from 50-plus, the second-best success rate in NFL history among kickers with at least 25 attempts.
Highest Field Goal Success Rate, 50-Plus Yards, NFL History (minimum 25 attempts)
| Kicker | Team(s) | Made | Att. | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Aubry | DAL | 29 | 32 | 90.6% |
| Chase McLaughlin | TB, IND, CLE, LAC, JAX, SF & NYJ | 40 | 47 | 85.1% |
| Chris Boswell | PIT | 49 | 59 | 83.1% |
| Matt Prater | DET, DEN, ARI, BUF & ATL | 82 | 109 | 75.2% |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | HOU | 47 | 63 | 74.6% |
McLaughlin helped the Buccaneers improve their 2025 record to 6-2, which equals the best eight-game start in franchise history. The Bucs were also 6-2 in 1979, 2002, 2020 and 2021; the team went on to win a division title in three of those previous seasons, the exception being 2020, when a Wild Card berth turned into a Super Bowl championship run.
The win also marked the fourth straight season in which the Buccaneers have won in New Orleans, their longest streak in the all-time head-to-head series, and all four of those victories have come with double-digit scoring margins. The Bucs are 2-0 so far in 2025 in intradivisional play and have won five consecutive games against NFC South opponents, dating back to last season, for the first time since 2007. The Bucs are 22-10 against division opponents since the start of the 2020 campaign, the third-best record of any NFL team against its own division foes in that span behind Buffalo (26-7) and Kansas City (25-7). Since the start of the 2021 season, the Buccaneers have had at least a share of the NFC South lead for 65 of the last 79 regular-season weeks.
In addition to McLaughlin's excellent contributions, the Buccaneers also tasted victory due to a dominant defense that produced a season-high four takeaways and also sacked Saints quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough a combined five times. Outside linebacker Anthony Nelson, making his first start of the season in place of an injured Haason Reddick, got involved in both of those categories, producing a stat line never before accomplished by a Buccaneers defender. Nelson's three-yard pick-six in the second quarter opened the game's scoring, and he also contributed a team-high two sacks plus a forced fumble.
That made Nelson the first Buccaneer since data was available in each category beginning in 1994 to combine at least one sack with an interception return for a touchdown and a forced fumble. He is the first player in the NFL to accomplish that feat since the Steelers' Alex Highsmith against Cleveland on Sept. 18, 2023. He is the first NFL player to do all of that in a single half of a game since Chicago's Khalil Mack against Green Bay on Sept. 9, 2018.
Linebacker SirVocea Dennis and rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish also recorded solo sacks while defensive lineman Logan Hall and outside linebacker Markees Watts shared one late in the game. Those five total sacks gave the Bucs' defense 15 over the last three weeks, which is tied for the most by any team in that span.
Most Sacks, NFL Teams, 2025 Weeks 6-8
1t. Tampa Bay: 15
1t. Denver: 15
3. L.A. Rams: 11
4t. Cleveland: 10
4t. Green Bay: 10
4t. Seattle: 10
According to ESPN research, both the Buccaneers and Broncos have tied for the most sacks in a three-game span by any NFL team in the past 25 years.
Nelson's forced fumble came on a scramble by Rattler in the first quarter when he caught the quarterback from behind and chopped the ball out of his grasp. Linebacker Lavonte David fell on the ball for the 20th fumble recovery of his career. Since 2000, only three NFL players have recorded 30-plus forced fumbles and 20-plus fumble recoveries: David and a pair of Hall of Famers in Jason Taylor and Julius Peppers.
The Saints other lost fumble in the game was caused by cornerback Jamel Dean against wideout Rashid Shaheed in the second quarter and recovered by safety Antoine Winfield Jr. That gave Winfield his 10th career fumble recovery and made him just the 12th NFL defensive back to amass 10-plus forced fumbles and 10-plus fumble recoveries since 2000. Winfield accomplished that feat in his 76th career game; all of the other players on the list, four of whom are in the Hall of Fame, played at least 116 career games.
NFL Defensive Backs with 10+ Forced Fumbles and 10+ Fumble Recoveries
(since 2000)
Mike Adams
Rondé Barber *
Vonn Bell
Dre' Bly
Brian Dawkins *
DeAngelo Hall
Malcolm Jenkins
Rodney McLeod
Marcus Peters
Ed Reed *
Charles Woodson *
* Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
