Achievements all around in this one.
– Tampa Bay defeated New Orleans 26-9 to advance to 3-1 and take control of first place in the NFC South. Dating back to Week 4 of the 2021 season, Tampa Bay has held at least a share of the division lead in 36 of the last 37 weeks.
– The 17-point victory tied for Tampa Bay’s third-largest win over New Orleans in franchise history and tied for the sixth-largest margin of victory in a divisional road win. The Bucs three consecutive regular season wins against the Saints mark the longest streak in team history.
– The Bucs were the first team to score more than 20 points against New Orleans since the Baltimore Ravens on 11/7/22.
– In his first divisional outing as quarterback of the Bucs, Baker Mayfield completed 25-of-32 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns, earning a 116.9 passer rating. Sunday’s game marked the third career three-touchdown performance for Mayfield and his first with Tampa Bay. Through Sunday’s 1 p.m. games, Mayfield ranks tied for sixth in the NFL with seven touchdown passes this season.
– The Bucs put together a 17-play, 87-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter that was capped off by a 4-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Cade Otton. It marked Tampa Bay’s longest offensive drive of the season in terms of plays and the second-longest in yards (89-yard drive vs. Chicago, Week 2).
– The touchdown reception for Otton was his first this season and the third of his NFL career.
– Tampa Bay’s second touchdown of the game came on a 1-yard pass from Mayfield to rookie WR Trey Palmer. Palmer now has two touchdown receptions through his first four career games.
– Mayfield’s final touchdown pass was a five-yard strike to WR Deven Thompkins in the fourth quarter – the first receiving touchdown of Thompkins’ NFL career. Thompkins finished with a career-best 45 yards receiving on four receptions. Previously, Thompkins had totaled nine receptions for 48 yards in his career. He also had one rush for 11 yards.
– Chris Godwin led Tampa Bay offensively, totaling eight receptions for 114 receiving yards, marking the 19th time that Godwin accumulated 100-or-more receiving yards in his career. His 19 100-yard receiving performances are the second-most in franchise history, trailing only teammate Mike Evans (34).
100-YARD RECEIVING PERFORMANCES – FRANCHISE HISTORY
Rank Player (Seasons) 100-Yd Games
1. Mike Evans (2014-Present) 34
2. Chris Godwin (2017-Present) 19
3. Mark Carrier (1987-92) 15
4. Kevin House (1980-86) 14
5. Vincent Jackson (2012-16) 13
– Evans left with a hamstring injury in the second quarter, but not before bringing in three receptions for 40 yards in the opening half.
– Led by 56 yards from RB Rachaad White, Tampa Bay rushed for 114 yards vs. New Orleans, marking the second time this season that the Bucs rushed for 100+ yards in a game. White finished with 78 total yards from scrimmage.
– The defense held New Orleans to just 197 total yards of offense – the lowest total allowed by the Bucs in 63 all-time meetings between the two teams. In addition, the 127 net passing yards allowed by Tampa Bay were the team’s fewest since 10/9/22 vs. Atlanta.
– Sunday’s game marked the first time Tampa Bay allowed 130-or-fewer passing yards and 70-or-fewer rushing yards in the same game since 11/15/20 at Carolina.
– Antoine Winfield Jr. led the team with nine tackles (two for loss), adding 1.0 sack, quarterback hit, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He was the first player with that stat line in a single game since Bobby Wagner in 2018.
– Winfield Jr. forced and recovered a Saints fumble on New Orleans’ 6-yard line to set up a Tampa Bay touchdown drive before the half. Through Sunday’s 1 p.m. games, Winfield Jr. joined Steelers OLB T.J. Watt as the only players in the NFL with multiple forced fumbles and multiple fumble recoveries this season. He is also the only player in the league with multiple games with at least one sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery this season.
– Winfield Jr.’s two career games with at least one sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery are the most by any defensive back and tied for the most by any player since 2020.
MOST GAMES WITH 1.0+ SACK, 1+ FF AND 1+ FR – SINCE 2020
Rank Player (Team) Games
1t. Antoine Winfield Jr. (TB) 2
1t. Shaquil Barrett (TB) 2
1t. Haason Reddick (PHI) 2
1t. Chase Young (WAS) 2
1t. Myles Garrett (CLE) 2
1t. Markus Golden (PIT) 2
1t. Kyle Van Noy (BAL) 2
– Winfield Jr. dropped Saints QB Derek Carr for a 4-yard loss in the second quarter, bringing his career sack total to 11.0 – the most by a safety in franchise history, and the most by any NFL defensive back since Winfield Jr. entered the league in 2020.
DEFENSIVE BACK SACK LEADERS – SINCE 2020
Through Sunday’s 1 p.m. Games
Rank Player (Team) Sacks
1. Antoine Winfield Jr. (TB) 11.0
2. Jamal Adams (SEA) 9.5
3. Donovan Wilson (DAL) 8.5
4. Brandon Jones (MIA) 8.0
5. L’Jarius Sneed (KC) 6.5
– Vita Vea was credited with a pair of sacks on Sunday, to bring his season sack total to a team-high 3.5 sacks and his career total to 21.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble, the second of his NFL career. The fumble was recovered by DL Logan Hall, who picked up his first career fumble recovery.
– With an interception on Sunday, DB Dee Delaneyrecorded interceptions in back-to-back games for the first time in his NFL career, bringing his career total to three interceptions. In Week 3 vs. Philadelphia, Delaney recorded an interception while filling in at cornerback and in Week 4 vs. New Orleans, he hauled in his interception while filling in at safety.
– With three in today’s contest, Tampa Bay’s defense is up to 10 takeaways this season, the second-most in the NFL through Week 4’s 1 p.m. games. The Bucs are currently one of just five teams with multiple games this season with three-or-more takeaways.
TAKEAWAY LEADERS – 2023
Through Sunday’s 1 p.m. Games
Rank Team TA
1. Buffalo Bills 11
2. Tampa Bay Bucs 10
3. Jacksonville Jaguars 9
4t. Pittsburgh Steelers 8
4t. Dallas Cowboys 8
– Tampa Bay also ranks second in the NFL with six interceptions through Sunday’s 1 p.m. games.
INTERCEPTION LEADERS – 2023
Through Sunday’s 1 p.m. Games
Rank Team TA
1. Buffalo Bills 8
2. Tampa Bay Bucs 6
3t. Dallas Cowboys 5
3t. New Orleans Saints 5
3t. San Francisco 49ers 5
– The Bucs limited Saints WR Chris Olave to one reception for four yards, marking a new career-low for Olave (previously three receptions for 40 yards). He entered Sunday ranked 10th in the NFL in receptions (22) and seventh in receiving yards (302).
– Saints RB Alvin Kamara had 13 receptions in Sunday’s game, but totaled just 33 receiving yards (2.5 yards per reception). Out of 200 all-time games in which a player had 13+ receptions, Kamara’s 33 receiving yards is the lowest total, with the previous low being 71 yards receiving.
– Chase McLaughlin hit a 51-yard field goal, bring his career totals to 19-of-23 on 50+-yard field goal attempts. He finished 2of-2 on field goals and 2-of-2 on extra point attempts in the game.