The Buccaneers are all alone on top of the NFC South.
Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes and the Bucs defense stifled just about everything the Saints tried during a 26-9 win on Sunday. The victory is the Bucs’ third in four tries this season and the Saints are now 2-2.
Mayfield was 25-of-32 for 246 yards and his biggest miscue of the day didn’t come back to haunt the Bucs. Mayfield was picked off near the end zone late in the second quarter, but Antoine Winfield forced and recovered a fumble on the next play to set up a touchdown pass to Trey Palmer.
Winfield also had nine tackles, a sack, and knocked away a pass to Chris Olave in the end zone when the game was still very much in doubt. The Bucs led 17-9 after Blake Grupe’s third field goal of the game with 8:29 to play, but the Bucs went on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that end with Deven Thompkins’ first career touchdown catch.
The biggest negative of the day for the Bucs was the loss of wide receiver Mike Evans to a hamstring injury. He left late in the first half and was ruled out after testing it at the start of the third half. Chris Godwin picked up the slack with eight catches for 114 yards.
Derek Carr’s status was up in the air all week because of a right shoulder injury and he struggled against the Bucs defense. He was 23-of-37 for 127 yards and he lost a fumble on a sack by Vita Vea in the fourth quarter. The game was out of reach after the Bucs turned that into a field goal and Jameis Winston came in to throw an interception on his only pass attempt against his former team.
Running back Alvin Kamara had 11 carries for 51 yards and 13 catches for 33 yards in his first appearance of the season. Those receiving numbers indicate how hard it was for the Saints to get anything going downfield and Olave only had one catch for four yards.
The Saints had gone 11 straight games without allowing 20 points, which was one away from the longest streak in NFL history. They’ll try to start a new string in New England — Bill Belichick’s 1994-95 Browns have the only 12-game streak — while the Bucs will face the Lions at home in a matchup of 3-1 teams.