Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints Match Player Stats On Dec 29, 2013

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 29, 2013

Saints 42, Buccaneers 17: Drew Brees threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score as host New Orleans locked up the No. 6 seed in the NFC and completed the second perfect home season in franchise history.

Brees finished 24-of-31 for 381 yards for the Saints (11-5), who will visit NFC East champion Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. Tight end Jimmy Graham had five catches for 71 yards and a score while Lance Moore, Robert Meachem and Kenny Stills hauled in long touchdown passes from Brees.

Mike Glennon threw for 219 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception for Tampa Bay (4-12), which went 4-4 over its final eight games after losing its first eight of the season. Tiquan Underwood and Tim Wright each had five receptions and a touchdown for the Buccaneers.

Brees amassed 321 yards and four TDs in the first half alone, including three of at least 41 yards. Glennon threw a 48-yard scoring strike to Underwood on a flea-flicker and a 1-yard TD toss to Wright to cut the deficit to 21-14, but Brees found a wide-open Stills for a 76-yard touchdown to send the Saints into the locker room ahead by 14.

Rian Lindell's 54-yard field goal on the opening drive of the second half pulled Tampa Bay within 28-17, but New Orleans turned it into a rout with a pair of touchdowns in a span of 2:14. Pierre Thomas capped a 92-yard drive with an 8-yard scoring run before Keenan Lewis intercepted Glennon on the ensuing possession to set up Brees' 9-yard TD scamper that made it 42-17 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Brees had his fifth game with at least four scoring passes and finished one shy of his third straight season with 40. ... Glennon tied an NFL rookie record with eight multiple-touchdown games. ... Graham's 10-yard scoring catch gave him 16 TDs for the season, one fewer than the tight end record held by New England's Rob Gronkowski.