Instant Takeaways From Bucs' Dominant Win Over Saints

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat their division rival in a big way on Sunday, clobbering the New Orleans Saints.

Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (88) celebrates a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Bucs didn't just get it done in New Orleans — they destroyed their longtime division rival.

There was a rough second quarter, but the Bucs set a franchise record for yards and put up 51 points in a decisive 51-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints. BucsGameday was on site in the Big Easy — here are our instant takeaways from all the action:

Tampa Bay's offense is for real

This observation could have been made for the past few weeks, especially given that the Bucs put up 30 in a loss to the Falcons last week (that's over 30 points in four different games). But a 50-burger in New Orleans, as strange as it came, was no joke, and it proves that Liam Coen and company really have a strong unit going. Tampa Bay also had a great run game, rushing for over 200 yards for the first time since 2016. If the Bucs can iron out some other deficiencies, this team can make some serious noise.

Defense is getting pressure

Pressure has been hard to come by for Tampa Bay's defense, but they've been dialing it up recently. Calijah Kancey being back certainly helped, and across the day, the Bucs had five sacks with six different players credited. Getting pressure on rookie QBs is always a surefire way to get them off-kilter, and in the second half, the Bucs managed to get it done and pitch a shutout. That's a trend they'll want to see continue going down the line.

READ MORE: 3 Up, 3 Down From Bucs' Big Win Over Saints in Week 6

The Bucs have to stop freaking out

Despite the huge win, there's still a bit of an elephant in the room. The Bucs shut out New Orleans in three quarters, but gave up 27 points in the second quarter after a slew of penalties and turnovers occurred. Three interceptions by Baker Mayfield and numerous miscues let the Saints back in the game, and it looked eerily similar to what happened at the end of the Falcons game.

The Bucs are a good team. But when they're thrown off their game, they're really thrown off their game, and this is something that Todd Bowles has to fix going forward if his team wants to make some real noise in the playoffs this year.

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