3 Up, 3 Down In Bucs' Division Clinching Win over Saints

BucsGameday's breaks down who shined and who struggled in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 18 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Jan 5, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) celebrates after a reception to put him over 1,000 yards for the season in the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

It wasn't pretty for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they got it done on Sunday with a 27-19 win over the Saints to capture their fourth straight NFC South title and fifth consecutive trip to the playoffs.

In a day where winning the division was primary, the secondary goal was to get Mike Evans to 1,000 yards on the season, and though it came down to the last seconds, the Bucs were able to get that done, too. Victory Monday will be a good one for Bucs fans knowing that their season and Evans' streak aren't over. See who shined and struggled in the Bucs Week 18 win over the Saints.

3 Up

WR Jalen McMillan

McMillan came up with several big plays in the Bucs win over the Saints on Sunday. He had a fourth down grab that traveled 33 yards to set the Bucs up in scoring position. Unfortunately on the same play, he got a ticky-tacky call for pointing "guns" for the first down. It didn't matter — two plays later Mayfield hit him for a 32-yard toe-tapping touchdown for the eight-point lead.

QB Baker Mayfield

Mayfield willed this Bucs team to victory with several huge plays, especially with his feet. Baker had some excellent throws, including a dime to Jalen McMillan for the go-ahead score. He ran for 68 yards and several first downs and was instrumental in leading the Bucs to their fifth straight playoff appearance and fourth straight NFC South Title.

WR Mike Evans

Nine receptions.

89 yards.

11-straight seasons with 1,000 yards receiving.

3 Down

Bucs Pressure Packages

The Bucs struggled to get to Rattler most of the day outside of sacks by Vita Vea and Yaya Diaby. Bowles was creative moving around players to try and generate push but wasn't able to consistently disrupt the pocket.

Secondary Coverage

Bucs struggled in coverage all game long, but what do you expect when they are missing three of their starters? Players out of place, not executing their assignments and missed tackles plagued this unit. Josh Hayes filling in for Jamel Dean struggled, as did Zyon McCollum allowing several big gains on the day. The safety room took another hit when Mike Edwards left the game with cramps.

Penalties and Mental Mistakes

It wasn't a good day of clean football for the Bucs. Penalties and mental errors were in abundance against the Saints. Mayfield had a tough interception and the Bucs racked up 12 penalties for 90 yards. Nine of them coming on the offense. In one series in the fourth quarter, three penalties backed the Bucs up for 20 yards putting them in a tough hole. The Bucs aren't going to be able to win games in the playoffs if they can't keep the penalties and mental mistakes to a minimum.

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