Tampa, Florida is getting wet. By moving quickly and strongly, the Saints about New Orleans kept their 2023 time alive for at least one more week.
When they met the Buccaneers from Tampa, a win would have given them a third straight division title. But the Saints started playing great football straight away and went on to win 23–13.
The win made Week 18 very important, but the football team (8-8) remain in need of some help to win the NFC South.
The Falcons need to beat Atlanta in the final match of the season, or the Panthers need to lose to the Carolina Panthers (8-8) to avoid a tie.
On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers only had to win to make the playoffs. The Saints did not agree.
In the first quarter, the Saints led 20-0 and didn’t give up, going on to win 23–13. They continued to compete for the NFC The southern tip title after the win, which kept their playoff chances alive.
The Buccaneers are still in charge throughout their playoff run. People in their division would have no doubts about them if they upset the Carolina Panthers following week.
As long as the Falcons lose and the Saints beat them in Week 18, the Saints will win the NFC South.
That’s something the Saints haven’t been able to achieve much this season: they’ve gotten off to a good start towards a good team.
When New Orleans regained the ball, they ran 14 plays for 73 yards or scored a touchdown. Since Week 18 of last year, it was the first time the team scored on the first play.
The attack was going to do something else after that move. Carr completed five out of six passes or threw a touchdown on the very first drive.
This made it possible for him to have another great game as a starter quarterback in Louisiana. Carr made 24 of 32 strikes (75%), threw two touchdowns, and ended the game with a passer rating of 111.1.
The Saints looked like they wanted to win on Sunday. After 14 plays and 73 yards, Derek Carr launched the first possession of the game with a touchdown pass to tight end Juwan Johnson from 4 meters out.
During a play in the 2nd quarter, Carr hit Hill’s arm from 22 yards out, making the final outcome 14-0.
The Buccaneers had four chances in the first half, but New Orleans’ defense stopped three of them and intercepted Baker Mayfield once. That was the end of a very good first half. The score was 17–0 for the Saints.
In the fourth year, Mayfield did his thing and hit Trey Palmer for a score. This gave the Buccaneers the lead. With 1:37 left, Manziel threw to 47 yards out to Chris Godwin for a touchdown.
Stop tight Juwan Johnson snagged Carr’s at first touchdown pass. It was the beginning of a great game for the fourth-year wide out.
He set new records for catches (six) or yards gained (70) before his final catch of the first half. He caught eight catches for 90 yards in the end.
With third down, the Orleans Saints had a tough time last season, but on their first drive, they made it both times.
As the game went on, they converted 8 of 17 number three ups, which was a lot better than the number of times they failed before.
The Saints’ attack weren’t the sole factor that made the first play exciting. The Saints’ defense slowed off the Buccaneers’ offense right away. In their first five scoring plays, they made them go three out four times.