New Orleans
Saints
9-8
13
FINAL
38
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
15-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured a decisive 38-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the Wildcard Round of the 2028 season, advancing to the next stage of the playoffs. The stakes were high, and the Buccaneers rose to the occasion, showcasing their offensive prowess against a division rival.
Baker Mayfield was the standout performer for Tampa Bay, throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns, effectively leading the charge against the Saints' defense. Meanwhile, Bucky Irving made a significant impact on both the ground and through the air, racking up 160 rushing yards and 98 receiving yards, solidifying his role as a dual-threat weapon.
Defensively, the Buccaneers were relentless, with Tykee Smith snagging an interception that halted any momentum the Saints attempted to build. The turning point came in the second quarter when Mayfield connected with Irving for a touchdown, igniting a scoring spree that the Saints could not recover from. Tampa Bay's defense, anchored by Trevor Kinney's sack, ensured that the Saints' offense was kept in check throughout the game.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 25 | 18 | 72% | 290 | 3 | 1 | 133.3 |
| Cade Klubnik | QB | 26 | 14 | 54% | 141 | 0 | 2 | 37.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 20 | 160 | 8.0 | 39 | 2 | 58 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | — | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Cade Klubnik | QB | 5 | 28 | 5.6 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | HB | 5 | 8 | 1.6 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Max Klare | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 4 | 98 | 24.5 | 59 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 3 | 57 | 19.0 | 13 | 1 | 33 | 1 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 4 | 51 | 12.8 | 12 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Max Klare | TE | 4 | 38 | 9.5 | 16 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Alec Pierce | WR | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Tez Johnson | WR | 2 | 34 | 17.0 | 11 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Terrance Ferguson | TE | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Dawson Knox | TE | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | HB | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Christian Watson | WR | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Kameron Johnson | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrett Carter | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Quincy Riley | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josaiah Stewart | LEDGE | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Lukas Van Ness | LEDGE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevor Kinney | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDGE | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Stutsman | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kamren Kinchens | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Drew Sanders | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Emerson Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rashad Johnson Jr. | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antwan Brockers | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevon Lasley | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper DeJean | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CJ Allen | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah McDuffie | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omar Speights | WILL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wil Lutz | K | 2 | 2 | 1 | 29 |
| Ryan Wright | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Little | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 27 |

