Tampa Bay can’t contain Bridgewater in loss
For all the euphoria the 55-40 victory the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to notch over the Los Angeles Rams last week on the road, many analysts around the country had jumped on the bandwagon in Tampa.
One person that everyone had not taken into account for was New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Much maligned this season for not pushing the ball downfield, Bridgewater made sure to silence his doubters against a Buccaneers’ defense that yielded over 500 yards through the air versus the Rams.
Tampa Bay can’t contain Bridgewater in loss, as he had himself a day and threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns as New Orleans rolled to a dominant 31-24 win at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Buccaneers fall to 2-3 on the season, while the Saints improve to 4-1 and take sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
After Jameis Winston threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns, the fifth-year starter came back down to earth against the Saints’ defense. Winston (two touchdowns) was held to 204 yards passing and wide receiver Mike Evans was held to without a catch. Winston improves his season total to 11 touchdowns versus five interceptions thrown so far through five games.
It would be the play of the Buccaneers’ secondary that ended up being picked on the entire afternoon in New Orleans, as Bridgewater was able find his connection with Michael Thomas. Thomas hauled in 11 catches for 182 yards and scored twice. Tampa Bay continued its solid play against opposing running backs, with Saints’ tailback Alvin Kamara rushed for 62 yards and had 42 yards receiving to end with 104 yards total.
New Orleans (4-1) started off with a 3-0 lead on a Wil Lutz field goal, but Tampa Bay would end up responding with a touchdown as Winston would find Chris Godwin for a 26-yard score. The 7-3 lead would be the only time Tampa Bay would hold the lead the entire afternoon. The Saints would end the day with 457 total yards of offense versus the Buccaneers’ 252.
Now the Buccaneers (2-3) must gear up and get ready for a trip across the Atlantic Ocean to face the Carolina Panthers, a team they’ve already beaten once this year. Tampa Bay defeated Carolina 20-14 on Thursday Night Football in Week 2 of the season.
