Saints throttle Buccaneers on primetime
In what could have been one of the most anticipated Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ regular season games for quite some time turned into one that many fans would like to just forget about.
Tampa Bay looked outmatched, outclassed and outcoached, as the Saints throttle the Buccaneers in an embarrassing 38-3 loss on Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium. With the loss, Tampa Bay falls to second place in the division and New Orleans moves into sole possession of the NFC South.
Sunday evening was the debut for newly signed wide receiver Antonio Brown and many wondered how the former Pittsburgh Steelers’ wideout would fare with Tampa Bay in game one. Brown finished with 31 yards on three catches. That affected the roles of Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson and Justin Watson moving forward, as the three combined for two catches. Watson was left inactive for the game.
Tampa Bay (6-3) started the game off with four straight offensive possessions with three and out drives. The Buccaneers finally picked up a first down, but the urgency to get going on offense became critical after trailing 21-0 in the second quarter. Running became an afterthought as well, with Tampa Bay only running the ball four times all night, a new NFL record low for a game.
For quarterback Tom Brady, it was a nightmare all game long and it never stopped. Brady ended up throwing a season-high three interceptions and just 209 yards to finish with a quarterback rating of 40.4. The dream matchup between Brady and Drew Brees just never came into fruition as the Saints defense brought heavy pressure every play.
What ended up becoming insult to injury was in the fourth quarter, the game was well out of hand but New Orleans’ head coach Sean Payton inserted former Tampa Bay starter Jameis Winston. Winston took a knee to close out the game.
