The New Orleans Saints fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon in Tampa. The win propels Tampa into the playoffs, as they are the NFC South champions.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
New Orleans got the football first, and the offense was able to put together a sustained drive. The drive would eventually stall, but a 35-yard Blake Grupe field goal put the Saints out in front 3-0.
The Buccaneers first drive appeared to have stalled out. However, a running into the kicker penalty put them in range to try a long field goal. Chase McLaughlin delivered the 52-yarder to tie the game at three.
New Orleans was able to rattle off 10 consecutive points after that. First came in another Grupe field goal. Then, Spencer Rattler and the offense orchestrated a 14 play, 79 yard drive that was capped with a five-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis. That made it 13-3 in favor of the Saints.
The teams exchanged field goals on each of their final drives of the first half. That made it 16-6 Saints going into the half.
The opening drive of the second half was a successful one for the Bucs. They marched 10 plays and 72 yards, getting a touchdown from Baker Mayfield to Payne Durham. That made it 16-13.
A Mayfield interception set the Saints up in good field position a little later. Grupe connected on a 49-yard field goal to make it 19-13 Saints.
Eventually, the Bucs got the drive they needed. 12 plays and 82 yards later, Mayfield connected with Jalen McMillan for a 32-yard score to give Tampa a 20-19 lead.
Down the stretch, the Saints could not find their way into scoring range. The Bucs were able to add another score to win the game 27-19.
BIG NUMBER: 18
The Saints’ second half woes continued, as they were out scored by 18 in that half. A double-digit halftime lead was not enough as the Saints fell once again.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Baker Mayfield
Mayfield made a few huge plays to help his team win this game. In total, he threw for 221 yards, two touchdowns, and rushed for 68 yards.
UP NEXT: The Saints season has come to a close with a record of 5-12.