Drew Brees guides Saints to blowout of Tom Brady and Buccaneers
“Obviously tonight was a great night all the way around, I think,” Brees told NBC after the game. “In all three phases, it was pretty exceptional. But I feel like we can still get better.”
The Buccaneers and the rest of the NFC had better hope that’s not the case.
“We all have to do our job a lot better,” Brady said in a postgame video news conference. “When you play good teams, there’s little margin of error. They’ve been a great team for a long time. They have a lot of good players. If we’re going to beat them, we’ve got to play a lot better than we played tonight.”
The Saints welcomed back Thomas and fellow wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and looked like the precise, efficient team they were expected to be. No one was questioning on this night whether Brees still has the arm strength to be an elite quarterback. He threw four touchdown passes in a 26-for-32, 222-yard passing performance, earning an early exit as backup Jameis Winston finished. Twelve different Saints players had catches.
“Tonight it was good to get everybody back, get them back in the mix,” Brees said. “I think we slowly did that. We wanted to spread the ball around. We wanted to play complementary football.”
Brees’s touchdown passes went to wide receivers Tre’Quan Smith and Sanders and tight ends Adam Trautman and Josh Hill. Thomas played for the first time since the opener, after injuries and a team disciplinary issue, and had five catches for 51 yards. Tailback Alvin Kamara added a rushing touchdown. All-purpose standout Taysom Hill made major contributions as a passer, runner and receiver.
Brees won for the fifth time in his seven NFL matchups with Brady, an opponent since their college days with Brees at Purdue and Brady at Michigan.
“We’ve been playing against each other for 22 years,” Brees said. “So there’s obviously a lot of respect there. Throughout our careers, I think what we just say is just how grateful we are to have the opportunity to play this great game, to have played as long as we’ve played and played with so many great teams, great coaches, great players. So just thankful for that.”
The Saints improved to 6-2 and moved a half-game ahead of the Buccaneers, whose mark dropped to 6-3, for first place in the division. But now they also hold the tiebreaker advantage after beating the Bucs in the season opener in New Orleans. Brady, the six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback who left the New England Patriots to join the Buccaneers in free agency in March, was swept by a division opponent in a season for the first time in his career.
“He had all his weapons on the field, too,” Brees said. “I thought it was going to be one of those games.”
There were no visions on this night of Brady making the Bucs the first team to play a Super Bowl on its home field come early February. He threw three interceptions as part of a 22-for-38, 209-yard passing night. That gave Brady five interception in two games this season against the Saints.
“I certainly have to play a lot better,” Brady said. “Turning the ball over against a good team never helps. We just didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing. Everyone’s got to do a lot better and it starts with me.”
Buccaneers Coach Bruce Arians called his team’s performance “shocking” and added: “Give New Orleans credit. They kicked our [butt] in every phase.”
The Bucs set an NFL record for the fewest rushing attempts that a team has ever had in a game, with five. That included a final-play kneel-down by backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
“When you’re down 28,” Arians said, “you’re not running the ball.”
Brown, the seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver signed by the Buccaneers just before the expiration of his eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, had three catches for 31 yards in his first game for his new team. The Buccaneers trailed by 31-0 at the half and by 38-0 in the fourth quarter.
“Everybody’s [ticked] off,” Arians said. “But too late now.”
The Buccaneers couldn’t reach the end zone even with four tries from the 1-yard line in the third quarter.
“There’s no excuses for what it is,” Brady said. “It’s a poor performance by a team that’s got a lot ahead of it. So hopefully we can learn from it and come back to work this week with a lot more urgency, execute a lot better and try to go out and beat a good football team.”
November 8, 2020 at 11:23 PM EST
Drew Brees throws four touchdown passes as Saints dominate Tom Brady and Bucs
By Mark Maske
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints could not have looked much better in Michael Thomas’s return. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could not have looked much worse in Antonio Brown’s debut.
The race in the NFC South — and perhaps in the entire NFC — changed dramatically as a result, as the Saints sprinted to a 31-point halftime lead over the Buccaneers and coasted to a stunningly lopsided 38-3 triumph Sunday night in Tampa.
The Saints welcomed back Thomas and fellow wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and looked like the precise, efficient team they were expected to be all season. No one was questioning on this night whether Brees still has the arm strength to be an elite quarterback. He threw four touchdown passes in a 26-for-32, 222-yard passing performance, earning an early exit as backup Jameis Winston finished. Twelve different Saints players had catches.
Brees’s touchdown passes went to wide receivers Tre’Quan Smith and Sanders and tight ends Adam Trautman and Josh Hill. Thomas played for the first time since the opener, after injuries and a team disciplinary issue, and had five catches for 51 yards. Tailback Alvin Kamara added a rushing touchdown. All-purpose standout Taysom Hill made major contributions as a passer, runner and receiver.
The Saints improved to 6-2 and moved a half-game ahead of the Buccaneers, whose mark dropped to 6-3, for first place in the division. But now they also hold the tiebreaker advantage after beating the Bucs in the season opener in New Orleans. Brady, the six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback who left the New England Patriots to join the Buccaneers in free agency in March, was swept by a divisional opponent in a season for the first time in his career.
There were no visions on this night of Brady making the Bucs the first team to play a Super Bowl on its home field come early February. He threw three interceptions as part of a 22-for-38, 209-yard passing night. That gave Brady five interceptions in two games this season against the Saints.
Brown, the seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver signed by the Buccaneers just before the expiration of his eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, had three catches for 31 yards in his first game for his new team.
The Buccaneers trailed by 31-0 at the half and by 38-0 in the fourth quarter. They couldn’t reach the end zone even with four tries from the 1-yard line in the third quarter. (Final score: Saints 38, Bucs 3)
November 8, 2020 at 11:01 PM EST
Bucs finally get on the board with field goal
By Mark Maske
The Bucs won’t be shut out, at least. Kicker Ryan Succop connected on a 48-yard field goal. (Saints 38, Bucs 3, 5:52 left in the fourth quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 10:57 PM EST
Saints up lead to 38 on Drew Brees’s fourth touchdown
By Mark Maske
Drew Brees threw his fourth touchdown pass and the Saints stretched their lead to 38 points. Tight end Josh Hill caught the three-yard pass from Brees. (Saints 38, Bucs 0, 9:07 left in the fourth quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 10:40 PM EST
Tom Brady throws third interception
By Mark Maske
Tom Brady’s third interception of the night — and fifth this season against the Saints — came on a fourth-and-seven, up-for-grabs lob that ended up in the hands of Malcolm Jenkins. Brady also was sacked twice on the drive by the Saints’ Trey Hendrickson. (Saints 31, Bucs 0, 0:57 left in the third quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 10:23 PM EST
Bucs fail to score on four plays from 1-yard line
By Mark Maske
The Saints kept it 31-0 with a goal-line stand, stopping the Bucs on four plays from the 1-yard line. The Buccaneers generated a turnover to begin the second half, knocking the football from Drew Brees’s hand in the pocket before his arm started forward for a fumble. They took over at the New Orleans 21-yard line and were handed a first down at the 1 on a debatable pass interference call against the Saints in the end zone. But three passing plays and one run by the Buccaneers failed to get a touchdown. (Saints 31, Bucs 0, 9:32 left in the third quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 10:05 PM EST
Drew Brees has three touchdown passes as Saints lead Bucs, 31-0, at halftime
By Mark Maske
The Saints ended a stunning first half in Tampa with a 31-0 lead over the Buccaneers. It’s the largest first-half deficit faced by Tom Brady in his NFL career, and he’s well on his way to being swept by a divisional opponent in a season for the first time.
Drew Brees completed 18 of 23 first-half passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns for the Saints. His touchdowns went to wide receivers Tre’Quan Smith and Emmanuel Sanders and tight end Adam Trautman. Tailback Alvin Kamara added a touchdown run. Wideout Michael Thomas, playing for the first time since Week 1, had four catches for 41 yards. He was one of 11 Saints players to have receptions in the half.
All-purpose standout Taysom Hill had a terrific half for New Orleans with 19 passing yards, 38 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards.
Brady threw a pair of first-half interceptions as part of an 11-for-22, 96-yard passing performance. He has four interceptions in two games against the Saints this season. Wide receiver Antonio Brown had two catches for 16 yards in his first half with his new team.
It’s the third time in Brady’s career that he’s been behind by at least 31 points at any point in a game. (Saints 31, Bucs 0 at halftime)
November 8, 2020 at 9:52 PM EST
Tom Brady throws another interception
By Mark Maske
Tom Brady threw his second interception of the night and fourth this season against the Saints. Safety Marcus Williams made the interception this time for New Orleans as Brady and newly arrived wide receiver Antonio Brown were not on the same page. (Saints 31, Bucs 0, 57 seconds left in the second quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 9:49 PM EST
Saints increase led to 31-0 with field goal
By Mark Maske
It’s a 31-0 game in the second quarter — yes, 31-0 — as kicker Wil Lutz connected on a 36-yard field goal for the Saints. Tight end Jared Cook could not hold on to third-and-seven pass from Drew Brees right before the kick. (Saints 31, Bucs 0, 1:49 left in the second quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 9:40 PM EST
Bucs fail on fourth down as Tom Brady misses Rob Gronkowski
By Mark Maske
Nothing at all is going the Bucs’ way. They finally got their offense moving just a bit and reached the New Orleans 38-yard line. But the drive stalled there and Brady just missed connecting with tight end Rob Gronkowski on a deep throw on fourth and six. (Saints 28, Bucs 0, 4:57 left in the second quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 9:34 PM EST
Tom Brady throws pick to set up Saints’ fourth touchdown
By Mark Maske
The Saints just keep scoring, and the crowd of about 15,000 at Raymond James Stadium is getting restless. Tailback Alvin Kamara provided a one-yard touchdown run as the Saints cashed in on an interception thrown by Tom Brady to a New Orleans defensive lineman. Brady’s screen pass was deflected to the Saints’ David Onyemata, who made the grab for the interception. Taysom Hill had a 12-yard run to set up the touchdown. The Saints are getting unreal field position and have touchdown drives of 65, 35, 50 and 27 yards. (Saints 28, Bucs 0, 8:45 left in the second quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 9:22 PM EST
Third touchdown pass by Drew Brees increases Saints’ lead
By Mark Maske
The Saints are pouring it on. They made it 21-0 with Drew Brees’s third touchdown pass of the night, a 12-yarder to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Taysom Hill was featured on the drive with a 21-yard catch and a 23-yard run. Sanders made a diving catch for the touchdown. The Saints, with great field position again, had to move only 50 yards. Brees is 14 for 16 for 145 yards. He has completions to 11 different receivers. (Saints 21, Bucs 0, 11:44 left in the second quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 9:14 PM EST
Drew Brees’s touchdown pass caps great first quarter for Saints
By Mark Maske
The Saints completed a dominant first quarter in Tampa with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to tight end Adam Trautman as time expired in the quarter. The Saints had to move only 35 yards after forcing a Bucs’ punt. Brees completed 11 of 12 passes in the quarter for 118 yard and two touchdowns. The Saints outgained the Buccaneers, 164 yards to 18. (Saints 14, Bucs 0, at the end of the first quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 9:02 PM EST
Saints’ Jared Cook loses fumble at 2-yard line
By Mark Maske
The Saints were a couple of yards from a two-touchdown lead. But tight end Jared Cook lost a fumble at the Tampa 2-yard line after a catch and run, trying to fight his way into the end zone. His knee nearly was down before the ball came loose. But the on-field officials ruled it a fumble and determined after the ensuing replay review that Cook’s knee had landed on another player rather than on the ground. (Saints 7, Bucs 0, 3:36 left in the first quarter)
November 8, 2020 at 8:41 PM EST
Saints take lead on Drew Brees touchdown pass to Tre’Quan Smith
By Mark Maske
The Saints got wide receiver Michael Thomas involved in the offense almost immediately. They got a completion on a pass thrown by all-purpose player Taysom Hill. And they drove to a touchdown on their opening drive, courtesy of a 14-yard pass from Drew Brees to wideout Tre’Quan Smith. Brees nearly overthrew Smith, who was left wide open in the back of the end zone as the Buccaneers blew a coverage. But Smith managed to make the catch and keep both his feet in bounds.
Hill lined up for a play at quarterback and had a 19-yard completion to tight end Jared Cook to set up the touchdown. Thomas, playing for the first time since Week 1, had a catch for an eight-yard gain on the Saints’ second offensive play. Six different Saints receivers had catches on the drive. (Saints 7, Bucs 0, 9:34 left in the first quarter)
