Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
4-4
37
FINAL
10
New Orleans
Saints
0-9
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured a decisive 37-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 18 of the 2026 season, solidifying their playoff positioning with a dominant performance. The stakes were high as both teams aimed to improve their postseason outlook, but it was the Buccaneers who came out on top in convincing fashion.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was the standout performer for Tampa Bay, throwing for an impressive 363 yards and three touchdowns. He connected seamlessly with receiver Zay Flowers, who racked up 164 receiving yards, showcasing their potent offensive synergy. Bucky Irving contributed significantly on the ground as well, adding 90 rushing yards to complement the aerial attack.
Defensively, the Buccaneers were equally impressive, with Jacob Parrish leading the charge with eight total tackles. DaQuan Jones made his mark with two sacks, putting pressure on the Saints' offense and disrupting their rhythm throughout the game. The turning point came early in the second half when Tampa Bay's defense forced a critical turnover, allowing the offense to capitalize and extend their lead, effectively sealing the game.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 35 | 24 | 69% | 363 | 3 | 0 | 131.0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 47 | 21 | 45% | 196 | 1 | 0 | 63.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 14 | 90 | 6.4 | 38 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Reggie Bush | HB | 11 | 83 | 7.5 | 27 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 9 | 39 | 4.3 | โ | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 7 | 16 | 2.3 | โ | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | โ | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker | HB | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | โ | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | โ | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| British Brooks | FB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | โ | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Alvin Kamara | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zay Flowers | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zay Flowers | WR | 6 | 164 | 27.3 | 121 | 2 | 70 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 5 | 128 | 25.6 | 70 | 1 | 80 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara | HB | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 15 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 8 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 5 | 36 | 7.2 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 6 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 18 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Payne Durham | TE | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Reggie Bush | HB | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DaQuan Jones | DT | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Bresee | DT | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denzel Ward | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brooks | MIKE | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Von Miller | LEDG | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Blackmon | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pete Werner | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Emerson Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Howden | FS | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demonte Capehart | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Murphy-Bunting | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Williams | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decamerion Richardson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davon Godchaux | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Quadin Muhammad | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Carlson | K | 1 | 2 | 1 | 27 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 41 |

