Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
7-9
24
FINAL
0
New Orleans
Saints
2-14
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a commanding performance, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers topped the New Orleans Saints 24-0 in Week 18 of the 2026 season. With playoff implications on the line, the Buccaneers demonstrated their dominance, securing a shutout victory that solidified their position in the postseason race.
Baker Mayfield led the Buccaneers' offense with a solid outing, throwing for 1 touchdown and helping the team maintain control of the game. Bucky Irving contributed significantly on the ground, racking up 70 rushing yards, while Chris Godwin Jr. was the top target, finishing with 87 receiving yards. This impressive offensive display allowed Tampa Bay to build an insurmountable lead early in the contest.
Defensively, the Buccaneers were relentless, with Vita Vea leading the charge by notching 4.5 sacks, which disrupted the Saints' offensive rhythm throughout the game. The turning point came in the first half when the Buccaneers' defense forced a critical turnover, allowing them to extend their lead. The Saints struggled to respond, ultimately unable to find the end zone as Tampa Bay's defense held firm for a well-deserved shutout.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 36 | 20 | 56% | 212 | 0 | 0 | 72.9 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 30 | 18 | 60% | 196 | 1 | 0 | 90.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 14 | 70 | 5.0 | 34 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 15 | 68 | 4.5 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 10 | 40 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker | HB | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Payne Durham | TE | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 3 | 87 | 29.0 | 61 | 1 | 64 | 1 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 7 | 76 | 10.9 | 13 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 4 | 69 | 17.3 | 7 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 6 | 60 | 10.0 | 28 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 5 | 42 | 8.4 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | — | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara | HB | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Ko Kieft | TE | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Payne Durham | TE | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vita Vea | DT | 4 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pete Werner | MIKE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Howden | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr | LEDG | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Bresee | DT | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | REDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Hayes | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davon Godchaux | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Blackmon | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Quadin Muhammad | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kamari Lassiter | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decamerion Richardson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nathan Shepherd | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Riley | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Emerson Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ochaun Mathis | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ifeatu Melifonwu | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SirVocea Dennis | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason Graham | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 3 | 3 | 1 | 51 |

