New Orleans
Saints
1-0
27
FINAL
28
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
1-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 2 matchup of the 2027 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers narrowly defeated the New Orleans Saints by a score of 28-27. The stakes were high as both teams sought to establish early dominance in the division, but it was Tampa Bay that emerged victorious, showcasing resilience and strategic execution throughout the game.
Leading the charge for the Buccaneers was quarterback Lil YN, who threw for 223 yards and three touchdown passes, proving instrumental in their offensive success. Emeka Egbuka was his favorite target, hauling in six catches for 109 yards, while on the ground, the Saints' Travis Etienne Jr. made a statement with a standout performance, rushing for 135 yards.
Defensively, the Buccaneers were anchored by Tykee Smith, who recorded five total tackles, helping to stifle the Saints' offensive momentum at key moments. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Tampa Bay's defense forced a critical turnover that ultimately sealed the game, allowing them to hold off a late rally from New Orleans and secure the win.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lil YN | QB | 15 | 11 | 73% | 223 | 3 | 0 | 154.8 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 15 | 10 | 67% | 125 | 1 | 0 | 114.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 18 | 135 | 7.5 | 32 | 2 | 49 | 1 |
| Mike Washington Jr. | HB | 11 | 73 | 6.6 | 10 | 1 | 66 | 1 |
| Jaylen Wright | HB | 6 | 44 | 7.3 | 37 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Speedy Gonzalez | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lil YN | QB | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 5 | 109 | 21.8 | 55 | 2 | 50 | 0 |
| Mike Washington Jr. | HB | 3 | 88 | 29.3 | 96 | 1 | 45 | 0 |
| Barion Brown | WR | 2 | 45 | 22.5 | 19 | 1 | 30 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Speedy Gonzalez | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | — | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Marlin Klein | TE | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jalin Hyatt | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tykee Smith | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carl Granderson | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JJ Roberts | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Owens | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kelee Ringo | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cody Lindenberg | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Ridgeway III | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cor'Dale Flott | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr. | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr. | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Riley | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Charlie Smyth | K | 2 | 3 | 3 | 47 |

