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Suffocating defense ruled the day and Tampa Bay got the job done with relative ease for a division game.
The Bucs are 6-2! They’ve officially avoided the Todd Bowles midseason meltdown and now rule the NFC South by two games entering the bye week.
What a glorious Sunday it is!
The banged up Bucs didn’t need style points today. They just needed to escape New Orleans with a “W” and get to their bye on a high note with the best record in the NFC.
Mission accomplished.
The Bucs did it on the backs of their defense. Anthony Nelson was a monster. Antoine Winfield showed flashes of his 2023 All-Pro self. Jamel Dean had a huge strip. Lavonte David led the team in tackles. Jacob Parrish and SirVocea Dennis made impact plays.
The Bucs’ offense? The run game was poor. The goal line run game was historically ugly. And Baker Mayfield wasn’t sharp for the second consecutive week.
Chase McLaughlin drilling three 50-plus-yard field goals gave the Bucs a healthy cushion and made the offense seem better than it was.
Joe would have been very pleased if the Bucs landed at the bye with a 5-3 record — 6-2 is something special.
The exciting part is the Bucs have much more room to improve.