Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough powered the Saints' gritty NFC South upset, delivering crucial rushing scores and sparking a decisive win.
The New Orleans Saints didn’t make it pretty on Sunday, but they made it count.
New Orleans escaped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 24-20 win in a game that felt like a classic NFC South street fight. With wet conditions, short drives, a lot of body blows and just enough big moments to tilt the scoreboard, it was a fight until the very end.
The Saints didn’t have to be perfect. They just had to be a little cleaner in the spots that decide one-score games.
The headline was Tyler Shough. The rookie quarterback showed real poise as a passer, but his biggest impact came with his legs. Two rushing touchdowns, including a long burst that flipped the energy of the afternoon, gave the Saints an identity when the weather and the Bucs’ front made traditional offense tough sledding. When New Orleans needed answers, Shough turned broken plays into positive yards and kept the chains moving.
The rest of the Saints’ offense was more consistent than explosive. Without Alvin Kamara, the run game leaned on committee effort and situational toughness. It wasn’t a highlight reel day, but the group did enough to keep Tampa honest and set up manageable third downs. The passing game took what was there and avoided the killer mistakes.
Defensively, New Orleans lived in the “bend but don’t break” space for most of the day. The secondary tightened in the red zone and the pass rush got timely pressure that forced the Bucs to settle for shorter gains instead of back-breaking shots. Tampa moved the ball in pockets, but inconsistency on third down and a few self-inflicted mistakes kept the comeback from fully igniting.
Special teams mattered, too. Field position swung back and forth, but the Saints largely kept Tampa from getting the easy, short-field chances that can snowball in sloppy weather.
The final minutes were tense and messy, which is kind of the point in this rivalry. The Saints protected the lead, survived the inevitable late push and walked out with a road win that won’t be remembered for style, but absolutely will be remembered for resolve.
In December, that’s often the difference.
New Orleans doesn’t have much to play for this season, but this win over Tampa Bay has huge implications on the divisional standings. The Carolina Panthers certainly enjoyed watching the Saints get the job done, as they still hope to win the NFC South, and are now better positioned to do so.
From here, the Saints will host the Panthers next week, funny enough. As such, the Buccaneers will be cheering for the same result as today — an upset win by New Orleans that will further shake up the standings.