New Orleans
Saints
4-2
3
FINAL
55
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
6-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a dominant performance, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers crushed the New Orleans Saints 55-3 in a Week 18 showdown, solidifying their playoff positioning with an emphatic victory. The Buccaneers showcased their offensive prowess, while the Saints struggled to find any rhythm, ultimately falling short in this crucial matchup.
Leading the charge for Tampa Bay was quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw for an impressive 359 yards and four touchdowns, making it a day to remember for the Bucs' offense. Wide receiver Ted Hurst III was a standout target, racking up 154 receiving yards, while Bucky Irving contributed on the ground with 81 rushing yards, adding to the team's formidable attack.
Defensively, the Buccaneers were relentless, with Zyon McCollum leading the way with nine tackles and Josiah Trotter contributing two sacks to keep pressure on the Saints' offense. The turning point came early in the second quarter when Tykee Smith intercepted a pass, setting up another scoring drive that extended Tampa Bay's lead to an insurmountable margin, effectively sealing the game and showcasing their defensive tenacity.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 38 | 26 | 68% | 359 | 4 | 0 | 133.5 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 40 | 15 | 38% | 121 | 0 | 4 | 6.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 15 | 81 | 5.4 | 71 | 2 | 32 | 0 |
| Josh Williams | HB | 8 | 52 | 6.5 | 29 | 1 | 27 | 0 |
| Ahmad Hardy | HB | 15 | 22 | 1.5 | — | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Jadan Baugh | HB | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | — | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Devin Culp | TE | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 8 | 154 | 19.3 | 51 | 3 | 42 | 1 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 6 | 96 | 16.0 | 18 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 6 | 65 | 10.8 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Ryan Wingo | WR | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | 9 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Oscar Delp | TE | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| KJ Duff | TE | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Josh Williams | HB | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| KaVontae Turpin | WR | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Devin Culp | TE | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Devin Neal | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ahmad Hardy | HB | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Stutsman | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr. | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zah Frazier | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yhonzae Pierre | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dane Belton | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rueben Bain Jr. | LEDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SirVocea Dennis | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Bresee | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jontez Williams | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Sawyer | REDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 2 | 2 | 7 | 43 |
| Charlie Smyth | K | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 |

