Brady and the Bucs finally beat the Saints

The NFC South is notable for the intensity of its rivalries. For example, the week 2 game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints.

After trailing 0-4, Tampa Bay was able to pull off a 20-10 win at Caesars Superdome. While this game saw a total of 30 points scored, it was a literal fight for the most part. The Saints shut out the Bucs in the first half, while they managed just three points before halftime. In the second half, a fight that resulted in the ejection of Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore was the catalyst for an offensive explosion and the eventual demise of New Orleans.

Brady spent most of Sunday afternoon sulking as his offense struggled to score points for the second week in a row. After finally beating New Orleans in the regular season for the first time since he signed with the Bucs in 2020, he smiled after the big win and even poked fun at himself for damaging some electronics.

In the second half, the Saints turned the ball over on four straight possessions, resulting in 17 points for Tampa Bay and helping the Bucs to the win. Winston finished with 236 receiving yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Meanwhile, Brady threw for 190 yards and a TD. Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean accounted for two of Tampa’s three interceptions on the day.

The Buccaneers defense was the hero of the day. In the first half, Todd Bowles’ drive kept the club at striking distance as they limited New Orleans to just three points in the first half as Tampa Bay’s offense struggled to move the ball and was left out. Coming off the halftime break, this unit continued to suppress Jameis Winston and began generating turnovers that directly resulted in points.

All five of New Orleans’ turnovers came in the second half, which included three turnovers in the span of just five plays. After that run, the icing on the cake for the defense was a pick six by safety Mike Edwards that completely opened up the game.

Offensively, Breshad Perriman proved to be a key outlet for Brady after Evans was ejected along with Chris Godwin and Julio Jones inactive due to injury. He caught three of his five targets for 45 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Jameis Winston entered the game with a diagnosis of four fractured vertebrae, and he probably shouldn’t have tried to play through the pain. He was too often hesitant to put the ball in and run, it got worse as the day went on. Reports say it’s a pain tolerance issue, and it seemed like that was affecting his concentration as he racked up more hits.

deportes@eleconomista.mx