Buccaneers Win Tough 27-19 Game vs. Saints, Clinch NFC South and Playoffs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knocked off the New Orleans Saints and have become NFC South Champions.

Jan 5, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) hands off to running back Bucky Irving (7) against the New Orleans Saints in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

It wasn't pretty. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are NFC South Champions.

The Bucs defeated the New Orleans Saints in a tough matchup, grinding out a 27-19 win. With that, the Buccaneers moved to 10-7 to finish the year and won the NFC South, becoming either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the NFC.

The New Orleans Saints got the ball first and scored first, kicking a field goal after an extended drive to go up 3-0. Tampa Bay was initially forced to punt at midfield on their drive, but a five-yard penalty for running into the punter moved them up and the Bucs instead hit a 52-yard field goal to tie it 3-3. The Saints went on an extended drive and ended the first quarter at Tampa Bay's 21, threatening to score.

The Saints kicked off the second quarter with a 39-yard field goal to make it 6-3. The Bucs punted on their second drive of the day, and New Orleans made them pay, going on a seven-minute drive to score a touchdown on a three-yard touchdown pass, going up 13-3. The Bucs ended the first half unable to score a touchdown in the red zone, but they kicked a field goal to decrease New Orleans' lead to 13-6. The Saints tacked on an extra field goal at the very end of the half to make it 16-6.

The Bucs finally got in the end zone after an extended drive that saw Baker Mayfield hit Payne Durham for a three-yard touchdown pass. The Saints went three-and-out the next drive, but Baker Mayfield threw an interception on Tampa Bay's side of the field that put the Saints in good field position. The Saints responded with a field goal to take it to 19-13, but the Bucs couldn't capitalize and punted it away. The Saints did the same, and the Bucs ended the third quarter at midfield and driving.

Tampa Bay's ensuing drive took quite a while due to numerous penalties, but Jalen McMillan hauled in a ridiculous 32-yard touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone to put the Bucs up 20-19. The Saints had to punt back to the Bucs, and then the Bucs led a long, extended drive that ended in a Bucky Irving touchdown, putting them up 27-19. The Saints got one more drive, but they failed to score and the Bucs closed it out after.

The Buccaneers now wait to see if they will play the Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings or the Detroit Lions in the first round of the playoffs.

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