When it comes to embarrassing losses, and there are enough to choose from in franchise history, then this will rank right up near the top. National TV, the division lead on the line and the 6-2 Bucs got absolutely manhandled from the very start. The score was not even as indicative of how one-sided the entire encounter really was. Tom Brady threw three interceptions, Drew Brees threw four touchdowns and the Bucs threw a game down the toilet.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING BUCS: Jones 3-9, Fournette 1-0, Gabbert 1-(-1). SAINTS: T.Hill 7-54, Kamara 9-40, Murray 10-39, Washington 5-9, Burton 1-1, Brees 2-(-2), Winston 3-(-3). PASSING BUCS: Brady 38-22-209-3-0. SAINTS: Brees 32-26-222-0-4. T.Hill 2-2-48-0-0, Winston 1-1-12-0-0. RECEIVING BUCS: Fournette 6-41, Evans 4-64, Godwin 3-41, Brown 3-41, Jones 3-9, Johnson 1-11, Miller 1-10, Gronkowski 1-2. SAINTS: Thomas 5-51, Kamara 5-9, Sanders 4-38, Trautman 3-39, Cook 2-30, J.Hill 2-14, Callaway 2-11, Murray 2-3, Harris 1-40, T.Hill 1-21, Smith 1-14, Burton 1- 12. INTERCEPTIONS BUCS: none. SAINTS: Onyemata 1-3, Jenkins 1-1, Williams 1-0. KICK RETURNS BUCS: Mickens 2-46. SAINTS: none. PUNT RETURNS BUCS: Mickens 1-1. SAINTS: Harris 3-30. SACKS BUCS: Barrett 1-0. SAINTS: Hendrickson 2-13, Brown 1-10.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 New Orleans Saints 38 Sunday 8 November 2020 at Raymond James Stadium
SCORING NO 9:34-1Q Smith 14 pass from Brees (Lutz kick) NO 0:00-1Q Trautman 7 pass from Brees (Lutz kick) NO 11:44-2Q Sanders 12 pass from Brees (Lutz kick) NO 8:45-2Q Kamara 1 run (Lutz kick) NO 1:49-2Q Lutz FG36 NO 9:07-3Q J.Hill 3 pass from Brees (Lutz kick) TB 5:52-4Q Succop FG48
GAME REPORTS Rick Stroud reports on one of the most humilating losses in team history John Romano wonders if a team can be called elite after a loss like this Antonio Brown made his debut but no-one really noticed Scott Smith’s official game report Click here for the play-by-play and the NFL gamebook
COMMENTARY CREW Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
GAME HIGHLIGHTS Click on the boxes below to view the big plays Well there were not many highlights so a 20-yard pass to Chris Godwin in the 2nd quarter And one of Antonio Brown’s first catches a Buccaneer And Ryan Succop’s fieldgoal in the fourth quarter - no real highlights from a bad game all round
STARTERS OFFENSE DEFENSE LT 76 Smith DE 93 Suh LG 73 Haeg DT 56 Nunez-Roches C 66 Jensen DE 92 Gholston RG 65 Cappa LOLB 90 Pierre-Paul RT 78 Wirfs LILB 45 White TE 82 Auclair RILB 54 David TE 87 Gronkowski ROLB 58 Barrett WR 13 Evans LCB 24 Davis WR 14 Godwin RCB 35 Dean QB 12 Brady SS 31 Winfield RB 27 Jones FS 33 Whitehead PLAYED 3 Succop, 8 Pinion, 10 Miller, 11 Gabbert, 18 Johnson, 23 Murphy-Bunting, 26 Adams, 28 Fournette, 29 Smith, 32 Edwards, 43 Cockrell, 49 Gill, 51 Minter, 53 Russell, 62 Shipley, 72 Wells, 79 O’Connor, 81 Brown, 82 Auclair, 84 Brate, 85 Mickens, 88 Hudson, 96 McLendon, 97 Triner, 98 Nelson DID NOT PLAY 25 McCoy, 64 Stinnie INACTIVES 4 Griffin, 17 Watson, 30 Vaughn, 74 Marpet, 94 Davis