Saints upset Buccaneers, 24-20

The New Orleans Saints (3-10) pulled off one of their biggest surprises of the season Sunday, riding rookie quarterback Tyler Shough to a 24–20 upset of the Buccaneers (7-6) in Tampa and tightening a suddenly wide-open NFC South race.

Shough, now 2–1 as a starter with road wins over both of the division’s top teams, delivered two rushing touchdowns and outplayed Baker Mayfield in stormy, turnover-filled conditions.

New Orleans struck first after a 54-yard kickoff return set up Devin Neal’s 3-yard score, a rare first-quarter touchdown for a team that has struggled early all year. Shough later broke off a 34-yard keeper on the opening drive of the second half to put the Saints ahead 14–10, his longest touchdown run as a pro. Tampa Bay briefly reclaimed the lead behind Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, but the Saints tied it at 17 with a Charlie Smyth field goal, then took control in the fourth.

After Chris Godwin Jr. dropped a fourth-down pass, New Orleans capitalized. Shough spun away from a collapsing pocket, slipping past Logan Hall and Vita Vea for a 13-yard touchdown that gave the Saints a 24–17 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Mayfield had chances to answer, but drops and misfires doomed the Buccaneers. Emeka Egbuka let a potential tying touchdown bounce off his hands, forcing Tampa Bay to settle for a field goal. On the final drive, Mayfield threw two incompletions and came up short on fourth-and-4 as the Saints closed it out.

Shough finished with 144 passing yards, 55 rushing yards and one interception. Mayfield went 14 of 30 for 122 yards with a pick as the Bucs dropped their fourth in five games, falling into a first-place tie with Carolina.

Both teams struggled on fourth down throughout the afternoon: the Bucs failed on three attempts before converting their final try of the first half, which produced no points, while the Saints also came up empty on a fourth-and-short after an illegal man-downfield penalty wiped out a big conversion.

Injuries

Saints: Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle), Taliese Fuaga (ankle) and Justin Reid (knee) were inactive.

Buccaneers: Ben Bredeson (knee) exited in the second quarter. Tykee Smith (stinger) and Haason Reddick (ankle) left the game. Tristan Wirfs (oblique), Mike Evans (clavicle), Luke Haggard (shoulder) and Benjamin Morrison (hamstring) were inactive.

Up Next

Saints: Host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Buccaneers: Host the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.