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12/07 16:19 CST Rookie QB Tyler Shough's 2 TD runs lead Saints to a 24-20 upset
of Buccaneers
Rookie QB Tyler Shough's 2 TD runs lead Saints to a 24-20 upset of Buccaneers
By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) --- Tyler Shough has faced the two top teams in the NFC South
and beat them both on the road.
The New Orleans Saints are more competitive than their record indicates.
Shough ran for two touchdowns and the Saints upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24-20 on Sunday to tighten the division race. The rookie quarterback is 2-3 as
a starter, with the other victory coming at Carolina.
"We can beat anybody. When we're stalling out, we're beating ourselves," Shough
said. "Knowing how close we have been in some of those losses, how you can flip
it on its head and we produce those big plays, we'd get those wins."
The lowly Saints (3-10), who were 8 1/2-point underdogs, frustrated Baker
Mayfield and the Buccaneers (7-6) in a sloppy game mostly played through a
driving storm.
The four-time defending division champion Bucs lost for the fourth time in five
games and fell into a first-place tie with Carolina. The Bucs and Panthers face
off twice in the final three games.
"It doesn't matter whether the team was 12-0 or 0-12, it's the NFL. You have to
show up and make plays or the other team is gonna beat you," Bucs coach Todd
Bowles said.
After Chris Godwin Jr. couldn't hold onto Mayfield's pass on fourth-and-2 from
the Saints 47, New Orleans drove for the go-ahead score.
Shough spun away from Logan Hall and Vita Vea in the backfield and scrambled 13
yards for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead near the midpoint of the fourth quarter.
The Buccaneers had a chance to tie it but Emeka Egbuka dropped Mayfield's pass
in the end zone, and they settled for a 37-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin
that cut the deficit to 24-20 with under five minutes remaining.
The Bucs had another chance in the final two minutes but Mayfield ran out of
his early-season magic.
First, Deion Jones dropped a potential interception that would've set Tampa Bay
up near its own 40. Instead, the Bucs got the ball after a punt at their 20
with 1:48 remaining and no timeouts.
Mayfield threw two incomplete passes, ran for 6 yards and threw a 3-yard pass
to Cade Otton on fourth-and-4.
"I don't disagree that it feels disjointed," Godwin said of Tampa Bay's
offense. "I can't put my finger on exactly why. I feel like if we could, it
would probably be easier to fix it. You can't just look at this and go, ?Oh,
it's whatever.' It's not whatever, we have to correct it. If we want to make a
run at this thing, we've got to get it together and get it together fast."
Shough finished with 144 yards passing and 55 rushing with one pick.
"Our guys have a lot of adversity this year and they've grown through this
journey," Saints coach Kellen Moore said.
Mayfield had 122 yards passing on a 14-of-30 afternoon with one interception.
Shough's 34-yard TD run on the opening drive of the second half was his career
score on the ground. It gave New Orleans a 14-10 lead.
Helped by a 29-yard pass-interference penalty on Jonas Sanker that wiped out an
incomplete pass to Tez Johnson on third-and-10, the Buccaneers reclaimed the
lead a few plays later.
Rachaad White ran 11, 7 and 5 yards. Then Sean Tucker ran for 13 yards and
scored from the 1 to make it 17-14.
The Saints answered with a 30-yard field goal by Charlie Smyth that tied it at
17-all. Shough completed a pass on fourth-and-1 to the Buccaneers 5, but a
penalty for illegal man downfield forced the Saints to settle for a field goal.
A 54-yard kickoff return by Mason Tipton to open the game set the Saints up at
the Buccaneers 45. Devin Neal capped a quick drive with a 3-yard TD run for a
7-0 lead.
The Saints had just one touchdown in the first quarter this season before that
score.
Fourth-down woes The Bucs went for a fourth-and-1 at the Saints 45 late in the first quarter but Carl Granderson stopped Bucky Irving for a 7-yard loss on a deep pitch. Sean Tucker was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 at the Saints 49 late in the second quarter. On the ensuing possession, New Orleans went for fourth-and-1 at the Buccaneers 42 and Neal was dropped for a 3-yard loss by Haason Reddick. The Bucs finally converted on fourth-and-1 when Mayfield ran for 4 yards on the last drive of the first half, which ended with no points. Welcome to the NFL Undrafted rookie Benjamin Chukwama made his first NFL start for the Buccaneers, filling in for All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs. Injuries Saints: RB Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle), T Taliese Fuaga (ankle), S Justin Reid (knee) were inactive. Buccaneers: LG Ben Bredeson left in the second quarter with a knee injury. ... DB Tykee Smith exited late in the first half with a stinger. ... Reddick left with an ankle injury. ... Wirfs (oblique), WR Mike Evans (clavicle), RG Luke Haggard (shoulder) and CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring) were inactive. Up next Saints: Host Carolina next Sunday. Buccaneers: Host Atlanta on Thursday night. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL |
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