New Orleans Saints (2-4) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2): 27-51
Who says division match says intense match. And that of the day between the Saints and the Buccaneers will have been no exception to the rule: 19 penalties and 897 yards of attack in total.
It is the Buccaneers who start the match in the best way. Baker Mayfield (QB) finds Chris Godwin (WR) for the first touchdown of the game and concludes an impressive first possession. The defense takes inspiration from their colleagues on the attack. Established for the first time, Spencer Rattler (QB) barely has time to complete his first pass when Chris Olave (WR) loses the ball. Stunned by a violent impact, the receiver gives Antoine Winfield (S) the opportunity to score a defensive touchdown. The Saints are in shock: Tampa Bay leads 14-0 after 6 minutes of play.
And then the match gets carried away in the second quarter. The Buccaneers are penalized three times and find themselves having to punt from their own end zone. Rasheed Shaheed (WR/PR) then takes great pleasure in sneaking into the end zone. Baker Mayfield is intercepted immediately. The defense plays well behind and limits the damage to 3 points but the former Brown is intercepted again after a hand fault from his receiver. This time, Spencer Rattler makes no mistake and finds Bub Means (WR) for his first touchdown. 20-17 Saints everything has to be done again for Tampa Bay. And the reaction is not long in coming. The New Orleans defense is penalized and Mayfield finds Sean Tucker (RB) for his first career touchdown. The pace does not slow down. After two big throws from Rattler, the Saints find themselves in a scoring position and Alvin Kamara (RB) doesn't need to be asked (3th lead change in 6 minutes). Cam Jordan then deflects a pass from Mayfield for another interception. The two teams return to the locker room with a score of 27-24 in favor of the Saints.
The second half is a real butcher. The Saints stuttered their football like rookie Spencer Rattler, intercepted twice. Chris Godwin is untenable and scores his second touchdown of the match. Cade Otton (TE) took advantage of Mayfield's good series and it was the turn of the ground game to torment the New Orleans defense. Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker let their legs do the talking and combined for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns in 28 carries. The rout was total for the Saints who lost 51-27.
Spencer Rattler alternates between the very good and the catastrophic, like his team
It's not easy to start your career in a division duel, which is always intense. Especially between the Saints and the Buccaneers. But the rookie was not unworthy. Far from it. Somewhat stressed and under pressure in the first possessions, the former Oklahoma player (in his former Sooner duel with Mayfield) then relaxed. His first half is even very good since he returns to the locker room at 11/17 for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Things turned into a nightmare in the second half. The loss of Chris Olave (WR) early in the game certainly didn't help. There is no doubt that having a receiver of Chris Godwin's level today would have taken some pressure off the young quarterback's shoulders. He finished at 22/40, 243 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions and 27 yards on the ground. But he was too alone in attack and the defense was not there despite three interceptions.
The calling of plays and coaching in general was close to outrageous in the second half. On a day when the Buccaneers' formidable defense was not in its best shape, not scoring any points in the second half is unacceptable. And the fault cannot fall on Spencer Rattler who was only starting his first match. The number of penalties (7 for 70 yards) is far too high.
Denis Allen (HC) will quickly have to do better if he does not want to be the next to join Robert Saleh at Pôle Emploi.
Mayfield does Mayfield, Chris Godwin all-risk insurance
Baker Mayfield played like he has been playing since the start of the season. Everything is not perfect but he puts his heart into it. Despite three interceptions, he did not give up and continued to find solutions to move the team forward. As evidenced by his stats sheet at 24/36, 325 yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 29 yards rushing.
It must be said that he was well supported by a close to perfect Chris Godwin with 11 receptions (targeted 13 times), 125 yards and two touchdowns. Godwin was particularly important when the Buccaneers were being manhandled and his second touchdown helped give his team some breathing room. But he was not the only spearhead in attack, the ground game was also very dominant.
The defense was not flawless in the first half but recovered well in the second half, allowing no points to the opposing attack. The big black spot remains the penalties: 12 for 86 yards.
But the main thing is there for the Buccaneers. They emerge victorious from this divisional duel and take a good option for the rest of the season. The situation is complicated, however, for the Saints who need a quick shock if they still want to hope for anything from the season.
