Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
9-7
30
FINAL
38
New Orleans
Saints
13-3
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 18 matchup, the New Orleans Saints topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-30, securing their playoff positioning in a must-win game. Both teams fought hard, but the Saints’ offensive prowess ultimately made the difference in this high-stakes contest.
Drew Brees led the charge for New Orleans, throwing for 257 yards and three touchdown passes, showcasing his veteran poise under pressure. Deuce McAllister added a dominant ground game, racking up 129 rushing yards, while Devery Henderson torched the Buccaneers' secondary with 144 receiving yards, making big plays when it mattered most.
The Saints' defense played a pivotal role in the outcome, with Joshua Bullocks leading the team with eight tackles and Charles Grant wreaking havoc with three sacks. The turning point came in the second half when Grant's third sack led to a crucial turnover, allowing New Orleans to extend their lead and ultimately secure the victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Brees | QB | 30 | 20 | 67% | 257 | 3 | 0 | 126.6 |
| Chris Simms | QB | 36 | 19 | 53% | 227 | 0 | 0 | 72.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deuce McAllister | HB | 15 | 129 | 8.6 | 80 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Cadillac Williams | HB | 15 | 116 | 7.7 | 58 | 3 | 31 | 0 |
| Aaron Stecker | HB | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 32 | 2 | 29 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | HB | 8 | 31 | 3.9 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Chris Simms | QB | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Mike Alstott | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Drew Brees | QB | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Maurice Stovall | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Devery Henderson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darius Watts | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerald Sowell | FB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Clayton | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devery Henderson | WR | 4 | 144 | 36.0 | 91 | 2 | 62 | 0 |
| Joey Galloway | WR | 6 | 71 | 11.8 | 16 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Darius Watts | WR | 7 | 67 | 9.6 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Michael Clayton | WR | 4 | 64 | 16.0 | 14 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Maurice Stovall | WR | 4 | 53 | 13.3 | 11 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Ernie Conwell | TE | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| Jerald Sowell | FB | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Deuce McAllister | HB | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Alex Smith | TE | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Marques Colston | WR | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Cadillac Williams | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Billy Miller | TE | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Mike Karney | FB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Douglas Jolley | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Aaron Stecker | HB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Grant | REDG | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joshua Bullocks | FS | 8 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Clark | MIKE | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Simeon Rice | LEDG | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roman Harper | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Strait | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hollis Thomas | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael McKenzie | CB | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Scott | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omar Stoutmire | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shelton Quarles | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Kelly | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Phillip Buchanon | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jermaine Phillips | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Smith | LEDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nnamdi Asomugha | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dewayne White | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ronde Barber | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Young | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Hovan | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Allen | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Scott Fujita | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Simoneau | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Taco Bell | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Barrett Ruud | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juran Bolden | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Craft | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Carney | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 52 |
| Matt Bryant | K | 3 | 3 | 3 | 53 |
| Joshua Bidwell | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

