Take away the three interceptions, the double-digit penalties and the punt return they gave up for a touchdown, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were absolutely brilliant Sunday.

Okay, so it was sloppy. Also, frustrating and briefly nerve-racking. But Tampa Bay eventually pulled out a 51-27 victory against the New Orleans Saints with a franchise-record 594 yards of total offense.

Considering the Bucs had to flee Tampa Bay ahead of Hurricane Milton and spent most of the week working out of a hotel in New Orleans, it’s probably not fair to judge them on style points. The end result is the Bucs will return home still atop the NFC South.

Jumping out to a 17-0 lead, the Bucs got a little careless with the ball and, perhaps, the play-calling. Baker Mayfield’s first interception was a poorly-thrown ball into coverage, and the second two were caused by tipped passes.

The greater issue is the Bucs were having success with the running game, but continued flinging the ball around the field in the first half. The Saints, with rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler making his NFL regular-season debut, eventually took a 27-24 lead into the half.

The Bucs opened up the third quarter with a greater commitment to the running game and then, on a play-action pass, took the lead on a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Chris Godwin. Tampa Bay went on to outscore the Saints 27-0 in the second half.

Play of the day

Take your pick. There were explosive plays all over the field on offense and three takeaways by the defense. In the end, we’ll go with Zyon McCollum’s interception on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Bucs were clinging to a 31-27 lead when McCollum went man-to-man with Rashid Shaheed and out-leapt him for the ball. The offense eventually converted the turnover into another touchdown and the rout was on.

Game ball

By now, it’s a cliché. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true: Chris Godwin is the most underrated receiver in the NFL. He had 11 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns. The 55-yard touchdown was a perfect example of Godwin’s style. He caught the pass near the sideline, cut around one defender and then broke two tackles before sprinting to the end zone.

Keep an eye on

For the better part of a month, Bucs fans have been shouting for Bucky Irving to get more carries. Now, you can add Sean Tucker to the chorus.

With Rachaad White sidelined by a foot injury, Tucker shared running back duties with Irving and had a wonderful game. Tucker, a second-year pro out of Syracuse, had 30 career rushing yards and no touchdowns coming into the game. He finished with 136 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown rushing and one receiver. Irving added 81 yards on 14 carries.

Also, the Bucs have been dealing with injuries in the secondary all season, and their luck did not change Sunday.

Tampa Bay was winning 17-0 when Jamel Dean went out with a hamstring injury in the first quarter, which meant undrafted rookie cornerback Tyrek Funderburk got his first snaps on defense. If you’re keeping score, Josh Hayes, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Christian Izien have all missed games while Zyon McCollum, Jordan Whitehead and Dean have all left games with various ailments.

NFC South update

Six games into the season, the Bucs and Falcons are looking like a horse race in the NFC South. Tampa Bay is 4-2 while the Falcons went into a late game against Carolina at 3-2, and with a tiebreaker advantage against the Bucs. The Saints are fading quickly and the Panthers are in another universe.

Up next

The heart of the schedule is coming up and it won’t be easy. The Bucs are at home Monday night (Oct. 21) against AFC heavyweight Baltimore Ravens.

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