Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
The New Orleans Saints’ 23-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made waves across the NFL not just because it was a loss that looked like it should have been a win in the box score, but because of the Saints’ in-game quarterback change. From Spencer Rattler to Tyler Shough and beyond, the Saints’ Week 8 loss to the Bucs is filled with season firsts and season worsts.
Here are the numbers that tell the story of the Saints’ Sunday division loss.
1 – The Saints are currently in line to land the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
10 – The Saints have not had a rushing play of 10 or more yards in the last three games.
21 – New Orleans’ run game was non-existent on Sunday with only 21 rushing yards coming from a running back. Starter Alvin Kamara rushed for just 43.75% of the team’s yards gained on the ground.
39.6 – Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry forced a 39.6 passer rating as the closest defender in coverage against Tampa Bay, his best mark of the season thus far. His 28.6% completion rate allowed was also a season-low.
Kool Aid McKinstry putting the clamps on Shepard & Emeka Egbuka in the end zone 🔥 #BuiltByBama pic.twitter.com/KW87xDILXK
— Follow: @fsh733 (@fsh733) October 26, 2025
42.3 – Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler was pressured on 42.3% of his drop backs, per Next Gen Stats. Rookie Tyler Shough saw pressure on just 25.7% of his second-half snaps.
48 – New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore said that he and the staff will take the next 48 hours to make a decision as to whether Rattler or Shough will start next week against the Los Angeles Rams. The head coach said that he wants to allocate snaps in practice appropriately and therefore will make a decision before taking the field on Wednesday.
48.1 – The Saints’ 48.1% blitz percentage was the team’s highest of the year and was the highest faced by the Buccaneers.
80.6 – Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield’s 80.6 passer rating was his second-lowest of the season so far. His lowest, 66.1, was accumulated last week against the Detroit Lions. His -7.4% completion percentage over expected was also his second-lowest of the season.
124 – Tampa’s 124 net passing yards was the least allowed by New Orleans since Week 14 of the 2023 season when the team held the Carolina Panthers to just 99 yards through the air.
600 – Kamara became one of just five running backs in NFL history with 600 or more receptions. He is also the first player with 600 or more receptions and more than 600 rushes with the same team.
The one, the only, Alvin Kamara. 👑
1 of only 5 RB’s in NFL History to have 600 career receptions pic.twitter.com/0XwV7sm1Tu
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 26, 2025
