Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
Sunday’s 24-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) was the New Orleans Saints’ (3-10) most impressive victory in recent memory. Sure, two blowout victories at the start of the 2024 season were fun, but the triumph in Tampa was one that changed the narrative on what it took for the Saints to win games.
New Orleans had a habit of only winning when everything went perfectly. Going back to the victory at the Carolina Panthers and this game, recent wins have proven that the team is now built to manage adversity.
Here are some of the important numbers that tell the story behind the Saints’ big win.
2 – Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough’s two rushing touchdowns and 55 rushing yards make him the second quarterback in franchise history, excluding Taysom HIll, to rush for 50 or more yards and two rushing touchdowns. The first was Archie Manning, also during his rookie year, in 1971.
3 – Not only was this the third win of the season, it was also the third time this year that the Saints scored more than 20 points in a contest. Additionally, it’s just the second time all season the offense has scored a trio of touchdowns.
4.1 – The Saints’ defense forced the fourth-fewest yards per pass across the league in Week 14. (Monday Night Football pending)
5 – The Buccaneers will only be credited with only a single turnover, but they also turned the ball over five times on downs after going for it seven times on fourth down. It was the most turnovers on downs by a Tampa team since at least 1991, per Next Gen Stats.
21 – Saints’ rookie running back Devin Neal’s 21-yard third-quarter run was the first 20-plus yard rush by a Saints running back since Week 9 of the 2024 season.
34 – Shough’s 34-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter was the first 30-plus yard run of the season and first for the Saints since Week 11 of last year.
37.1 – Per Next Gen Stats, the typically zone-heavy Saints’ defense played a season-high 37.1% of snaps in zone coverage.
46.7 – Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield completed just 46.7% of his passes against the Saints, his worst completion percentage as a Buccaneer.
67.8 – Shough’s 67.8% completion percentage as a starter leads all rookie passers so far in 2025. His 65.2% completion rate overall also leads rookie quarterbacks that have attempted at least 10 passing attempts.
200 – The Saints allowed just 144 passing yards against Tampa Bay, their fourth-consecutive game in which the defense has held an opposing team to under 200 yards passing. It’s the eighth such game in the last 10.
