Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints Match Player Stats On Sep 20, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 20, 2015

NEW ORLEANS -- No. 1 draft pick Jameis Winston rebounded from a shaky NFL debut to throw for one touchdown and scramble for another to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 26-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Winston, who was picked off twice in a 42-14 loss to Tennessee last week, completed 14 of 21 passes for 207 yards. His 15-yard strike to wide receiver Vincent Jackson just before halftime put Tampa Bay on top for good, 10-7.

Then Winston took the Bucs 80 yards in just four plays with the second-half kickoff for a 17-7 lead. The Bucs benefitted from a 40-yard pass interference call against cornerback Brandon Browner, who was badly beaten by wide receiver Louis Murphy. Winston got the touchdown by rolling out to the left and then easily running into the end zone.

The Bucs (1-1) extended their lead to 23-7 with field goals of 35 and 22 yards by rookie kicker Kyle Brindza, but the Saints cut it to 23-13 on a 1-yard run by fullback Austin Johnson. A two-point conversion failed when wide receiver Willie Snead was stopped short of the goal line by cornerback Johnthan Banks.

Two Bucs' fumbles in the fourth quarter gave the Saints (0-2) a chance to get back in the game. The first, a Winston fumble on a sack, did not result in any points when Zach Hocker missed a 42-yard field goal.

But on the next play, Bucs running back Doug Martin fumbled, setting up the Saints at the Tampa Bay 30. Quarterback Drew Brees completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Snead to cut it to 23-19 with 7:15 left, but Hocker's extra point was blocked.

The Buccaneers closed out the scoring with a 30-yard field goal by Brindza with1:51 left.

Winston drove the Bucs 63 yards in just six plays on the final possession of the first half for a touchdown that gave Tampa Bay a 10-7 halftime lead.

The Bucs had to overcome two false start penalties on the drive, and they did it on the strength of Winston's arm. He found wide receiver Vincent Jackson for 17 yards on third-and-16, and a roughing-the-passer penalty against safety Kenny Vaccaro for going low on a pass rush set up Tampa Bay at the Saints' 33.

From there, Winston found Louis Murphy for 23 yards to the 15, and on the next play, Winston stood tall against a blitz to find Jackson free in the back of the end zone behind safety Kenny Phillips for the 15-yard score.

Tampa Bay took an early 3-0 lead on Brindza's 55-yard field goal, but his wide-right miss on a 55-yard attempt in the second quarter finally gave New Orleans good field position at the New Orleans 42.

Brees took the Saints 58 yards in seven plays, with passes of 21 and 24 yards to wide receiver Marcus Colston. Running back Mark Ingram got the final 11 yards on a draw play up the middle, and New Orleans had its first lead of the season, 7-3, with 1:23 left in the half.

But the Tampa Bay defense constantly pressured Brees, sacking him three times for 32 yards in losses in the first half -- two by defensive end Jacquies Smith. Smith forced two Brees fumbles, but the Saints recovered after big losses.

NOTES: The Saints honored the city for its recovery 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. Former special teams ace Steve Gleason, who is fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease, received a standing ovation. ... Bucs C Evan Smith left the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter and did not return. ... Saints RB C.J. Spiller, who missed most of training camp with arthroscopic knee surgery, returned and caught a 19-yard pass on a wheel route on his first play.