New Orleans
Saints
1-7
16
FINAL
38
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
5-3
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a decisive Week 15 showdown, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers topped the New Orleans Saints with a final score of 38-16, solidifying their playoff aspirations as the regular season winds down. The Buccaneers showcased their offensive firepower, while the Saints struggled to keep pace, leaving them with work to do in their quest for postseason contention.
Baker Mayfield was the standout performer for Tampa Bay, throwing for 258 yards and three touchdowns, effectively leading the offense and capitalizing on key opportunities. Bucky Irving contributed significantly on the ground with 88 rushing yards, while Chris Olave of the Saints shined in defeat, racking up an impressive 153 receiving yards, though it wasn't enough to swing the game in New Orleans' favor.
Defensively, the Buccaneers imposed their will, with Tykee Smith leading the charge with eight total tackles, and Yaya Diaby registering 1.5 sacks. The turning point came when Antoine Winfield Jr. intercepted a pass, shifting momentum firmly in Tampa Bay's favor and allowing them to build a commanding lead that the Saints could never overcome.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 34 | 26 | 76% | 258 | 3 | 0 | 126.8 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 39 | 26 | 67% | 251 | 0 | 1 | 73.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 14 | 88 | 6.3 | 37 | 1 | 36 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 7 | 51 | 7.3 | 23 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 10 | 32 | 3.2 | — | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 8 | 31 | 3.9 | — | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker | HB | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Payne Durham | TE | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Olave | WR | 11 | 153 | 13.9 | 20 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 5 | 104 | 20.8 | 70 | 1 | 70 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 8 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 6 | 53 | 8.8 | 24 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 7 | 48 | 6.9 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 4 | 32 | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Sean Tucker | HB | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Khari Blasingame | FB | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Justin Reid | SS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dru Phillips | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decamerion Richardson | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamal Adams | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | REDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Blackmon | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jarvis Brownlee Jr | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Roberts | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demonte Capehart | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Nelson | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ifeatu Melifonwu | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nate Hobbs | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 53 |
| Daniel Carlson | K | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 |

