On a rainy day that made it difficult for both teams to move the ball consistently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers repeatedly set the New Orleans Saints up with short fields, and paid the price in a frustrating 24-20 loss at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
The Buccaneers allowed a 54-yard kickoff return to start the game, failed on three short fourth-down attempts near midfield and threw an interception on their half of the field. The Saints' 11 possessions started at an average of their own 41-yard line, and their longest scoring drive of the day was 53 yards. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough's second long rushing touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning points.
"It sucks," said QB Baker Mayfield of the loss. "It felt like we just gave it away, or didn't make the plays to win it. Just too many mistakes. Conditions aren't an excuse because they had to play in them, too. None of that matters. It's just a matter of making plays, and plays that guys have made a bunch of times…yeah, just got to execute. Got to be able to get a yard on thise short-yardage situations. That's just flat-out what it is."
Down 24-17, the Buccaneers drove down to the Saints' 17-yard line on the strength of a 32-yard Bucky Irving run but had to settle for Chase McLaughlin's second field goal with just under five minutes to play. The Bucs nearly scored the game-tying points moments early when rookie WR Emeka Egbuka broke wide open at the goal line, but he couldn't hold on to a hard pass. The Saints then converted two third downs on the next possession before punting it back, leaving the Bucs with less than two minutes on the clock and no timeouts to try to drive 80 yards for the win. Baker Mayfield's completion to Cade Otton on fourth-and-four came up inches short of the line to gain and that sealed the upset victory for the Saints, who carried a 2-10 record into the contest and hadn't exceeded 20 points in a game since Week Five.
Mayfield felt he could have delivered a better ball to Otton on the final failed fourth down.
"We had a choice route to Chris [Godwin]," Mayfield explained. "They did a very good job of covering that up, having to progress back to Cade. Just got to give him a higher ball instead of him having to lunge forward to catch it and not be able to drop-step to get the yardage to gain. Tough situation, but in those it comes down to the early downs in the two-minute drill. You've got to get it started, you've got to put the defense on its heels so we're not huddling up every time."
That was one of five Buccaneer drives that ended with a turnover of downs, as the offense went two for seven on fourth-down tries, as well as three for 13 on third down attempts. That marked the most fourth down attempts Tampa Bay has ever recorded in a single game.
"We couldn't get a fourth-down play," said Bowles. "We couldn't make a fourth-down play and that's disheartening."
The loss dropped the Buccaneers to 7-6, as they have lost four of five since a 6-2 start. Tampa Bay is now tied with the Carolina Panthers, who went into their Week 14 bye with a 7-6 mark, atop the NFC South. The Buccaneers and Panthers still have two head-to-head dates in the season's final month, first in Charlotte in Week 16 and then in Tampa in the regular-season finale. Before that, however, the Bucs must try to execute a rebound on a short week, as the Atlanta Falcons will visit Raymond James Stadium on Thursday for a prime-time contest.
"It's a division game; they always play us tough," said Bowles. "I said that all week. We don't look at records. When we play division games they know us and we know them. We had plenty of chances to make plays, coaching-wise offensively, defensively and special teams, definitely player-wise offense, defense and special teams. We had situations come up where we didn't make any plays. We could have made better calls. There's a myriad of things that could have happened that we lost this ballgame. It doesn't matter whether the [opposing] team was 12-0 or 0-12. It's the NFL; you've got to show up and play and make plays or the other team is going to beat you.
Our biggest things is, we can't let one loss turn into two because we've got to turn around and play Thursday. We've got to come to work tomorrow, as bitter of a taste as this – and it's very bitter for me and everybody else – we've got to turn around tomorrow and not let one loss turn into two."
Mayfield completed his first eight passes of the game and finished an opening possession 67-yard touchdown drive with a 24-yard scoring pass to Irving. However, the passing attack floundered in the rain after that, as Mayfield completed just six more throws to finish 14-of-30 for 122 yards, one touchddown and one interception. He was effectively scrambling with the ball, gaining 42 yards on six carries as part of a 179-yard outing for the Bucs' ground attack. Irving had 55 yards on 15 carries and White added 53 yards on 11 totes. Sean Tucker scored on a game-tying one-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter. All of the yards gained on that scoring drive, save for one pass interference penalty, came on the ground.
The Bucs' defense held New Orleans to 260 total yards but the Saints were more effective at extending drives on key third downs, converting five of 11 attempts. Shough's touchdown runs of 34 and 13 yards supplemented a day in which he completed 13 of 20 passes for 144 yards and one interception.
"We mis-fit quite a few things," said Bowles on the Bucs' pass rush letting Shough escape. "We were fine in the first half, we mis-fit some things in the second half and that can't continue."
Cornerback Zyon McCollum snared that pick in the second quarter, setting up a field goal drive that put the home team up, 10-7. The game marked the first time this season that the Buccaneers lost after taking a lead into halftime. Vita Vea, Chris Braswell and Greg Gaines all recorded sacks for the Bucs, though Shough also notably escaped serious pressure to pick up big gains, including on his second touchdown run. Christian Izien, who saw action after an injury to Tykee Smith, led the Bucs with eight tackles, including one for a loss.
The Bucs got off to a rough start when Mason Tiptoe took the opening kickoff across midfield and Shough capitalized with a six-play, 45-yard drive ending in Devin Neal's three-yard touchdown run. However, the defense clamped down for the remainder of the first half, allowing just 29 more yards and no conversions in four third-down attempts. Playing most of the half in a driving rain, the Bucs' offense was able to generate 153 yards in the half but also struggled on third downs (two of eight) and had two failed fourth-and-one attempts around midfield. Mayfield completed his first eight passes, but as the conditions worsened he hit on just one of his next nine. As a result, the lead was just 10-7 heading into the intermission.
Tiptoe gifted the Saints' offense with extremely good field position to start things out with his return to the Bucs' 44. New Orleans tried to go for the jugular right away but Shough's deep pass down the right sideline was just out of reach of a diving Olave. Shough's second pass, however, found WR Devaughn Vele wide open in the middle for a gain of 16. Two snaps later, he worked the middle again for 12 yards to TE Juwan Johnson, putting the ball at the Bucs 14. Shough then kept the ball on a read option when OLB Yaya Diaby went inside and got around left end for 11 yards to the three. RB Devin Neal pounded it in up the middle on the next play for the game's first points.
New Orleans 7, Tampa Bay 0 – 12:24 left in the first quarter
Kam Johnson started the Bucs' first drive off with a strong return to the 33-yard line and Mayfield threw a play-action rollout to Egbuka for a quick six yards. DL Davon Godchaux submarined intol the backfield to grab Irving's feet for a loss of one but a neutral zone infraction moved the chains. Short passes to Irving and TE Cade Otton left the Bucs in a third-and-one just past midfield and Irving followed a Dan Feeney block to get three more for a first down. Mayfield then found Godwin on a crossing route and hit him on the run for a gain of 21. On the next play, Mayfield rolled right but then threw back across the field to hit Irving in the backfield. The second-year back did the rest, dashing 24 yards to the end zone to tie the game.
Tampa Bay 7, New Orleans 7 – 7:57 left in the first quarter
Rookie LB John Bullock made sure the Saints didn't get the same sort of field position for their second position, dropping return man Dante Pettis at the 23-yard line. Shough tried to throw on first down but was dragged down for a seven-yard sack by Vea. Two plays later, on third-and-11, Shough threw towards Vele on a flag route but the ball sailed out of bounds. A holding call on the ensuing punt erased another good return by Johnson and pushed the offense back to the Bucs' 20-yard line.
A false start put the Bucs in first-and-15 and Irving got those five yards plus one back on his next carry. After a short grab over the middle by Godwin put the Bucs in a third-and-five and a pass interference call on CB Quincy Riley erased a deflected pass interception. On first down from the 30, White took a toss left and darted through a gap for five yards. A tunnel screen to Godwin worked even better, as he worked through the defense for a gain of 11 and a first down at the 46. After another five-yard penalty, Mayfield threw a precise out to Egbuka for nine yards to the midfield stripe. Two plays later, on third-and-three, White got a handoff out of shotgun and came up a yard short of the sticks. Bowles left the offense on the field on fourth down but a pitch to Irving was sniffed out by OLB Carl Granderson, who blew up the play for a loss of seven.
The Saints took over at the Bucs' 48, but a botched handoff by Taysom Hill led to a loss of four. However, on the final play of the first quarter, Shough located a wide-open Foster Moreau in the middle for a 16-yard gain. The second period began with an incompletion in Hill's direction, followed by a sack by Gaines for a loss of three. After Olave's first catch went for eight yards, K Charlie Smyth came on to try a 48-yard field goal but pushed it wide left to keep the game in a tie.
The Bucs took possession at their 38 after the missed kick, and a play-action pass in Egbuka's direction was over his head. However, a personal foul tripping call on DT Nathan Shepard moved the ball 15 yards and across midfield. Irving was then hit in the backfield and hobbled off the field after a loss of five, which was immediately followed by a Mayfield scramble that only got two yards. Mayfield put the ball with Egbuka's grasp on a deep out near the sticks but it was a tough play and the receiver couldn't quite haul it in. Riley Dixon's punt was fair caught at the New Orleans 16.
The Bucs gifted the Saints five yards to get started when DL Logan Hall lined up in the neutral zone. Shough tried to go deep on first-and-five but Olave cut off his route, leaving McCollum to play centerfield. He intercepted the ball at the Bucs' 40, got up and returned it 20 yards to the opposite 40.
Irving came back into the game and burst over left tackle for a gain of 12, but his next two runs accounted for just five. Mayfield tried to move the sticks with a quick slant to Godwin but it was incomplete and Chase McLaughlin came on for a 41-yard field goal attempt in a steady rain. He put it through the uprights for the Bucs' first lead of the game.
Tampa Bay 10, New Orleans 7 – 9:11 remaining in the second quarter
Pettis was run out of bounds at the Saints' 30 on his next kickoff return. Hill took a direct snap right up the middle but was rocked by S Antoine Winfield Jr. after a gain of just two. A false start followed, and two plays later Braswell got around the left tackle to trap Shough deep in the backfield on a 13-yard sack. The resulting punt pushed the Bucs back to their own 28.
Runs by White and Irving amounted to two yards, but Mayfield converted the long third down with one of his signature scrambles, cutting between two defenders at the end to get 12 yards and a first down at the 42. Two more White runs added up to nine yards as the first-half clock ticked under four minutes. Irving was stopped for no gain on third down and the clock was stopped while trainers attended to the left knee of left guard Ben Bredeson. When play resumed, Tucker got a shot at converting the fourth down but was also stonewalled at the line.
The Saints thus got the ball back a yard short of midfield with 2:36 left in the half. A four-yard run by Evan Hull took the ball into Bucs territory as the two-minute warning arrived. Before the next play, a false start cost the Saints five yards, and an illegal shift call erased an Olave catch near the first-down marker. A catch by Johnson got 12 yards back and made it third-and-four at the Bucs' 45, and a Neal carry made it fourth-and-one. The Saints went for it and tried a pitch to Neal, a play that OLB Haason Reddick blew up for a loss of three. (Reddick was also shaken up on the play.)
The Bucs got the ball back with 53 seconds on the clock and one first down, but Mayfield's first pass was batted away at the line. Mayfield wanted to throw a screen pass to Irving on second down but the play was completely covered so he spiked it at the back's feet. White took a shotgun handoff and found a seam to run for nine yards, though he was stopped just short of a first down. The Bucs went for it on fourth down and this time Mayfield kept the ball and ran around the right tackle to get four and a first down at the New Orleans 42. The Bucs rushed to the line with the clock ticking but Mayfield's pass was incomplete, stooping it at 16 seconds. Mayfield hit Shepard for a gain of four in the left flat and then called the team's last timeout with 11 seconds left. Egbuka got out of bounds at the 29 with a short out but was flagged for offensive pass interference, pushing the Bucs out of field goal range. As the clock expired, Mayfield got off a Hail Mary pass that made it to a group of players in the end zone but was knocked to the ground.
The Bucs got the ball first in the second half but had to start back at their own 20 after an expertly bounced kickoff by Smyth went into the end zone for a touchback. With the rain picking up again the Bucs tried to get the ground game going but Irving was stopped for no gain on the first play. So Mayfield threw it to Godwin on a dig over the middle instead and the receiver made a sliding catch at the 32. A tight end screen to Otton then worked to perfection, as he followed blockers for a gain of nine. Miscommunication between Mayfield and Kam Johnson on the next play led to the pass going directly to Alontae Taylor for an interception that he returned to the Bucs' 47.
Two Neal runs picked up a total of 13 yards, and Shough kept the ball on a read option and broke into the clear, running 34 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.
New Orleans 14, Tampa Bay 10 – 11:27 remaining in the third quarter
Smyth's next kickoff went into the end zone on the fly, which put the ball at the 35 to start the Bucs' second possession of the half. Tucker broke an arm tackle to take his first-down carry for six yards over left tackle. He powered into a mass of tacklers on second down to get within inches of the first down, but his successful third-down run was brought back by a holding call. On third-and-11, Mayfield threw deep in Tez Johnson's direction and drew a 29-yard pass interference flag on S Jonas Sanker. On first down from the Saints' 37, White dashed up the middle for 10 yards, then got another carry and took it to the left for seven more to the Saints' 19. The Bucs continued to feed White and his third carry in a row gained five and a first down at the 14. Tucker took over on the next play and went around left end to get the ball all the way to the 10, and was rewarded with the next carry as well, which he powered through for a go-ahead touchdown.
Tampa Bay 17, New Orleans 10 – 7:37 remaining in the third quarter
After a kickoff rerturn to the 35, Neal was stopped for just five yards on two carries, but Shough converted the third down with a square-in to Johnson for eight. Two plays later, RB Audric Estime shot through a gap up the middle for nine yards and a first down at the Bucs' 39. The Bucs brought a big blitz up the middle two plays later but the run by Neal went out to the right into wide-open grass and he rumbled all the way down to the Bucs' 17. Two more Neal runs made it third-and-two at the nine-yard line. Estime got the ball on third down and was stopped a yard short by Braswell. The Saints went for it on fourth down and appeared to get it on Shough's scrambling pass to Olave but the play was erased by an illegal man downfield penalty. After the ball was moved back, the Saints chose to kick the field goal and Smyth tied it with a 30-yarder.
Tampa Bay 17, New Orleans 17 – 1:32 remaining in the third quarter
The Bucs' next drive started at their own 28. It quickly fell into a third-and-eight after a second-down screen pass to White was deflected away, but Mayfield kept it alive with another impressive scramble, this time getting out of bounds after a gain of 16 that brought the third quarter to a close. Two Tucker runs added up to six yards, and Mayfield's next scramble made it fourth-and-two at the Saints' 46. The Bucs once again went for it on fourth down and Mayfield hit Godwin on the right sideline but a hit by CB Kool-Aid McKinstry made him bobble the ball as he was falling out of bounds and it was ruled incomplete.
The Saints thus took over on downs with just under 13 minutes remaining in regulation. OLB Yaya Diaby broke up an attempted screen and nearly intercepted the ball on first down, but two plays later Shough converted a third-and-10 with a 12-yard srike to Olave down the left numbers. A long-developing play over the middle to Olave two snaps later earned another first down at the Bucs' 29. Neal got four running up the middle, but S Christian Izien sniffed out another keeper by Shough and dragged him down for a loss of two. On third-and-eight, the pocket collapsed quickly on Shough but he was able to flip the ball out to Neal, who broke one tackle and ran down the sideline all the way to the 13. Shough appeared to be in even more trouble on the next play when Vea led a gang of pass rushers up the middle, but he somehow spun away from the whole pack and ran around left end all the ay to the end zone.
New Orleans 24, Tampa Bay 17 – 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter
When the Saints' next kickoff hit the ground short of the landing zone the ball was placed at Tampa Bay's 40, and Irving immediately bounced a carry out to the left for a gain of 32. A short pass to White and a deep shot to Egbuka that missed made it third-and-eight and Godwin caught a short pass a yard short of the sticks. White got the call on fourth down and was able to move the pile just far enough for a first down. After a false start, Egbuka broke wide open near the goal line but Mayfield's pass was high and hard and he couldn't make the leaping grab. After a three-yard Irving run, Mayfield threw down the left sideline to Otton but the pass fell incomplete with a defender draped all over him. The Bucs had to settle for Chase McLaughlin's 37-yard field goal.
New Orleans 24, Tampa Bay 20 – 4:54 remaining in the fourth quarter
A holding call on Seattle on the ensuing kickoff put the ball at the Seattle 17. Neal got four up the middle on first down and Hill dropped a second-down pass to make it third-and-five. Under pressure, Shough got off a pass down the middle to Vele that was good for a first down at the 33 as the clock ticked down towards the three-minute mark. A Shough keeper only got two but prompted the Bucs to burn one of their two remaining timeouts. A Neal run got three yards and a diving catch by Vele gained 13 and a first downat the Bucs' 49. Vea dropped Neal for a loss of one and the Bucs used their last timeout at the 2:24 mark. Another Neal carry got nothing but took it down to the two-minute warning. After the break, Shough tried to hit Vele on an out but the ball bounced off the receiver's hand and helmet before nearly being intercepted by LB Deion Jones. The resulting punt went into the end zone for a touchback.
The Bucs had 1:48 on the clock and no timeouts to go 80 yards. Myafield was pressured into a scrambling throwaway on the first snap, and had his next pass nearly intercepted before Egbuka turned into a defender and broke it up. Mayfield had to scramble on third down and went out of bounds at the 26 to bring up fourth-and-four. The Bucs had to go to it and Mayfield was able to buy enough time to get off a low pass to Otton, but the catch was made inches shy of the line to gain. Two kneel-downs by Shough ended the game.
