Additional game details (score in bold):
The Bucs caught the ball first to start the game, but failed to catch a first down. Brady passed over to Rob Gronkowski at the bottom of the left sideline, but the ball was outside the fingertips of the tight end. In the following punt, return player Deonte Harris hit a Jaydon Mickens hit as soon as he caught the ball and then found the right sideline for a 54-yard return to the Bucs’ 21-yard line.
White celebrated his return to action with an unearned Kamara tackle on the first play, but a short pass to Emmanuel Sanders had a personal foul caught in the end and that made the first goal at seven. The Bucs’ defense forced the Saints to a third and a goal and CB Carlton Davis had a tight cover over Thomas, who failed to stay in the shallow field on the other side of the scrimmage line. The Saints were content with Wil Lutz’s 23-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 4:30 elapsed..
Tampa Bay’s second possession was no better as Brady was fired by LB Demario Davis in the third to six, leading to a 19-yard line punt. Harris actually took this one to the end zone for an apparent touchdown, but most of it was erased by a blocking penalty in the back. New Orleans ended with its own start 30 after the penalty.
A diving pass break by CB Sean Murphy-Bunting and another quick tackle from White put the Saints in a quick third to 11, but Brees fitted a 13-yard pass into a well-covered Tre’Quan Smith to keep the unit alive. OLB Jason Pierre-Paul was signaled for stumbling across Kamara in a middle run and Kamara made his next run around the left end for 10 yards and a first descent at Bucs ’35. After another first run, the Saints found themselves third-and-nine at Bucs ’24, and OLB Jason Pierre-Paul managed to counter Brees’ third-pass pass to force another field goal. Lutz drilled 42 yards for a 6-0 lead.
The Bucs started again at their own 25 and had an eight-yard run for Jones after an incomplete first down to make it third to two. Jones was stopped inches apart on the third downhill, but the Bucs went to him on the fourth downhill and Brady was capable of just enough power for a first downhill stealthy QB in the middle. Fournette returned to deliver two strong straight runs and a first descent, and then Brady went deep in the middle for Evans, but Marshon Lattimore was able to hit him at the last second. Two moves later, in the third to the fifth after a breach of the neutral zone, Brady played a quick tunnel screen for Godwin and was good for a first crash in the 35 of the Saints. The first quarter ended in two. Jones yard run.
The first move of the second period was a 16-yard strike for Brate to reduce to 17 for a first fall. Fournette advanced through the middle for six yards and then got three more on the second descent. Brady tried to reach Gronkowski on the goal line on the third down, but S Malcolm Jenkins made a great move to separate Ryan Succop came to score a 26-yard field goal.
The Saints’ next race started with Kamara increasing his stomach strength by 11 yards. However, two clicks later, Brees was pressured by a white blitz and Murphy-Bunting was able to undermine Thomas and hit the pass at Saints ’39. Murphy-Bunting armed hard to escape a tackle from Thomas and was able to return to the three-yard line. The Bucs only needed one move to score, with Brady throwing a quick javelin to Evans to place the visitors, 10-6.
The Bucs almost managed a three-and-out on the next Saints charge, but a defensive wait call for a third descent at Murphy-Bunting kept him alive. After an attack by Brees in the third and one led to another first defeat at Saints ’44, New Orleans dug into his bag of tricks to retake the lead in a big move. Winston lined up to the right and Kamara fired a shotgun and then handed it over to Sanders, who subsequently threw it to Winston. Meanwhile, Smith had been wide open in the middle and Winston easily hit him for a 56-yard opening score.
Jones’ two runs made the third and two and Brady tried to hit Brown deep in the right sideline. S Marcus Williams seemed to intercept the pass when he went out of bounds, but a review showed that he did not descend half a meter. This brought the ball back to the 34 of the Bucs and led to a punt that took the ball to the Saints’ eight, with six and a half minutes to go.
Two Sanders footprints put the Saints on their own 40, but a big open field tackle by Murphy-Bunting on TE Josh Hill made it third for 11 moments later. Kamara bypassed the right wing in a short reception to make the fourth and two in the 48. The Saints left the attack on the field and may have tried to pull an offside flag, but a hesitant Will Gholston attracted a false initial penalty and the Santos that punt. The Mickens fair took 18 in Bucs.
A short run and incompleteness at the hands of Fournette made it third to eighth when the two-minute warning came. After the break, Fournette took the next one and raised it to just go through the sticks. Two moves later, another short pass to Fournette worked well as he wandered 14 yards to the Saints’ 49. With 54 seconds remaining, the Bucs called for a break, facing a third and two in Saints ’41. After the break, Brady handed Fournette the shotgun and the move was good for seven yards and a first down. Brown took a 10-yard pass on the right sideline on the next move, but did not go out of bounds and the Bucs used their second timeout with 27 seconds remaining. A false start by Stinnie pushed the ball back to 29, and an almost touchdown two moves later would not happen when the ball rolled out of Godwin’s hands after a grab at the back of the end zone. Brady found Brate for 10 yards on the third and 15 to make the basket easier and Succop tied the game with a 37-yard field goal when time ended in the first half.
The Saints took the ball for the start of the second half and quickly came close to midfield with a succession of runs and short passes, ending in a third and a swipe from Brady to the Saints’ 48. Kamara then cut off the right guard for a 17-yard gain for the Bucs’ 35. Kamara somehow transformed what appeared to be a loss in a six-yard run by breaking several tackles and Brees found Ty Montgomery in the middle for a 13-yard finish and a first descent on the Bucs ’16. Two moves later, Brees threw a perfect pass to Smith near the right pillar for the forward signal touchdown.
The Bucs’ attempted response started with a run and a Fournette welcome that moved the chains, but the unit then stalled and the next punt was achieved at Saints ’16. The Bucs seemed to have a quick stop thanks in part to a White tackle for loss, but Murphy-Bunting was marked by passing interference on the third downhill. S Antione Winfield, Jr. almost intercepted Brees’s next pass, so two moves later he forced a fumble from TE Jared Cook. White picked up the loose ball and returned it 18 yards for the Saints ’40.
Brady found a Brate wide open for 19 yards on the next play and Jones followed with a 10 yard hard run through the middle, to the 11 of the Saints. Three moves later, third to five, Brady found Fournette cutting the middle and the fourth-year defender juggled across the goal line tie the game again with two minutes remaining to the end of the third period.
Once again, the Bucs seemed to make a stop just to see an illegal hand call at a conclusion of a third descent – this one at Jamel Dean across the field – to keep the unit alive. Fortunately, three moves later, the Bucs received quick pressure with a four-man rush and Brady’s pitch was cleared by CB Ross Cockrell.
After the Saints’ punt, the Bucs started again on their own 21 with less than a minute to go in the third quarter. A difficult six-yard run for Jones ended the third quarter. Two moves in the fourth period, Jones freed himself for what appeared to be a 44-yard run, but the move was erased by a waiting call on T Tristan Wirfs. The Bucs still managed to keep the unit alive when newcomer WR Tyler Johnson made a stunning reception on the right side for 15 yards on the third to 11. The Bucs faced another third down moments later, but WR Scotty Miller ran a sharp route up and down. up and made a great sliding reception between two defenders for 29 yards for 31 of the Saints. After a Bucs timeout, Jones started a spin and a 12-yard run into the red zone. The drive stopped there and Succop came to give the Bucs a 23-20 lead in a 36-yard field goal.
The Saints started again in the 25th minute, with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation time and quickly dropped to a third to six. Brees landed Sanders in a low shot and Sanders was able to fly over a Winfield tackle to cross the sticks. Two moves later, however, White appeared with the Bucs’ third takeaway, hitting a pass for Kamara and returning it 28 yards from the left sideline for the Saints.
On the second play of the next drive, Brady hit Gronkowski in a deep shot and the big tight end stayed on the pitch and dropped to four from the Saints. Two moves later, Brady kept the goal and was able to dive just above the line behind G Ali Marpet. Succop hit the extra point for a Bucs 10 point lead with five minutes left.
The Bucs ended the Saints’ next trip with their fourth take-away. After a first down, Brees tried to go down the right sideline for Cook, but David prevented the tight end from pulling him and Edwards pulled him to his choice, just keeping his toes on the field at 48 of the Bucs. The Bucs ran the ball twice with Fournette to drain some Saints timeouts and then a quick screen for Godwin was good for 13 yards and a key down first. Fournette then ran the ball three more times, across the left guard, the last one advancing five yards on the third and three to effectively end the game. Three kneeling after the two-minute notice made it official.