It came down to the wire, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints in a thriller, 27-19, to win the NFC South.
Coming into this contest, the Bucs knew they had a win-and-in position, as the Atlanta Falcons needed to defeat the Carolina Panthers and hope for a Tampa Bay loss to sneak into the playoffs as the division winner.
But Tampa Bay is heading to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the NFC, and they will host the Washington Commanders in the wild-card round next weekend.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans receives a pass against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
It might have been a jubilation at Raymond James Stadium at the final whistle, but there were a lot of nervous Bucs fans when halftime came around and the Spencer Rattler-led Saints owned a 16-6 lead.
The Saints were playing in their first game since the senseless act of violence took place in New Orleans’ French Quarter in the wee hours of New Year’s Day, a terror attack that killed 14 and left many more injured.
A moment of silence was held for all those in the New Orleans community before kickoff, where a true show of patriotism was captured on the Fox Sports broadcast.
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And it was all New Orleans to start this game, as they scored on each of their first four drives – three field goals and a touchdown pass by Rattler to Dante Pettis.
Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs were trying to find something, and they got exactly what they needed to begin the second half. Mayfield orchestrated a 10-play, 72-yard drive that ended in a Peyton Durham touchdown to finally get the Bucs a touchdown on the day. The 16-13 deficit was more than manageable.
However, the Saints’ defense wasn’t helping matters, as they were pesky and forced a Mayfield interception despite the Bucs’ defense getting a three-and-out after their touchdown.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Dante Pettis celebrates with tight end Juwan Johnson after catching a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. (Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images)
After adding another field goal, the Saints owned a 19-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter where the Bucs entered desperation mode. Luckily for them, Mayfield wasn’t fazed.
Early in the fourth quarter, Mayfield stepped up in a collapsing pocket and delivered an absolute strike to Jalen McMillan, who kept two feet in the front right of the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Bucs a 20-19 lead after the extra point.
Then, the icing on the cake was a broken play that resulted in a Bucky Irving 11-yard rush for the touchdown.
The Bucs ultimately turned the Saints over on downs on their final drive, and with just seconds left to play, Tampa Bay and its fan base were celebrating the division title and the victory.
But what made this win even more special was what the Bucs did with their final snap of the game, as veteran receiver Mike Evans needed five catches and 85 yards to reach a $3 million incentive while also becoming the first player in NFL history to have reached 1,000 receiving yards in his first 11 seasons.
Evans, who was stuck at eight catches for 80 yards, caught a pass for nine yards from Mayfield and he launched the ball in the air after getting tackled, knowing he just made NFL history and $3 million.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield drops back to pass against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
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Looking at the stat sheet, Mayfield finished 21-of-32 for 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, with Evans catching nine passes for 89 yards. Irving finished with 89 rushing yards on 19 carries.
For the Saints, Rattler was 26-for-42 for 240 yards with his one touchdown pass, while tight end Juwan Johnson led the way with six catches for 80 yards.
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