New Orleans
Saints
4-7
29
FINAL
27
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
2-9
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe New Orleans Saints narrowly defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29-27 in a thrilling Week 15 matchup that had major playoff implications. With both teams vying for a better postseason position, the stakes were high, and the game lived up to the hype with a nail-biting finish.
Baker Mayfield showcased his skills for the Buccaneers, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns, but it was Travis Etienne Jr. who led the ground game for the Saints with 109 rushing yards. Chris Olave was a key target, racking up 116 receiving yards and proving instrumental in keeping the Saints' offense on track. Together, they delivered the offensive firepower necessary to secure the win.
Defensively, the game saw Tampa Bay's Alex Anzalone leading the charge with nine total tackles, but he and his teammates were unable to contain the Saints' balanced attack. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when the Saints managed a critical drive, culminating in a field goal that put them ahead for good. Despite a valiant effort from the Buccaneers, including Mayfield's impressive performance, the Saints' defense held firm when it mattered most, sealing their victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 47 | 31 | 66% | 272 | 3 | 0 | 102.4 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 32 | 20 | 63% | 239 | 1 | 0 | 95.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 16 | 109 | 6.8 | 62 | 0 | 35 | 1 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 8 | 53 | 6.6 | 32 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 11 | 53 | 4.8 | 13 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 11 | 52 | 4.7 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | β | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | β | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | β | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Isaac Guerendo | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | β | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Khari Blasingame | FB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | β | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Olave | WR | 8 | 116 | 14.5 | 18 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 10 | 102 | 10.2 | 25 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 6 | 58 | 9.7 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 22 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Adonai Mitchell | WR | 5 | 54 | 10.8 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 2 | 33 | 16.5 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Payne Durham | TE | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Oscar Delp | TE | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Khari Blasingame | FB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | β | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Murphy Jr | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominique Hampton | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Riley | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ar'Darius Washington | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decamerion Richardson | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyree Wilson | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Howden | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zah Frazier | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Stutsman | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 42 |
| Daniel Carlson | K | 3 | 3 | 2 | 52 |

