The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South after defeating the Saints in a tough matchup Sunday. The game ended 27-19 but was a struggle wire to wire.
After trailing almost all game, Tampa Bay took a lead midway through the fourth quarter after Baker Mayfield connected with rookie Jalen McMillan on a deep shot.
Mayfield performed well in his last game of the regular season, connecting on 21 of 32 passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He also rushed for 68 yards on nine carries. Mayfield also delivered a massive play, in which he escaped a sack and pitched it backwards to Bucky Irving for a late touchdown to bolster the lead.
Irving himself had a great game, rushing 19 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. Outside of him and Mayfield, nobody else played a major role in the rushing game.
In perhaps the biggest play of the day, Mike Evans caught a nine-yard pass to get his 11th straight 1,000-yard season, tying Jerry Rice as the longest streak of all time. His chances looked bleak, especially after getting hurt early in the season, but he needed 85 yards to reach it. After the Irving touchdown, it seemed impossible, but the Tampa Bay defense got a big stop, allowing for one more play. Instead of taking a knee, they threw a quick pass to Evans and let him do the rest. Evans finished the day with nine catches for 89 yards, and 1,004 yards on the year.
McMillan has also come on strong to end the season, which is big as they have been lacking a true WR2 since Godwin suffered his injury early in the season. McMillan caught five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown in Week 18, making it his fifth straight with a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bucs have been sound all year and that continued again today. Limiting their opponent to under 20 points again, it is almost a sure victory as the offense explodes nearly every game. When holding their opponents to 20 points or less, Tampa Bay is 7-0, making that point the threshold for victory.
The Bucs have been through numerous injuries but survived them all, ultimately landing them with their spot in the playoffs. They will face off against the Commanders, the team they opened their season against. In the first matchup, they beat Washington 37-20, but Jayden Daniels is playing a lot better now than he was early in the season. If Tampa Bay can run the ball efficiently and keep Daniels contained as they did early in the season, they should be able to please the home crowd and move on to the next round of the playoffs.
