Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints Match Player Stats: Tyler Shough’s Legs Beat Baker Mayfield’s Arm

Every box score tells a story, but the tampa bay buccaneers vs new orleans saints match player stats from Week 14 tell one about a favorite that couldn’t get out of its own way. Bettors had the Buccaneers laying more than a touchdown at home. Instead, a rookie quarterback’s legs and a defense that refused to break on fourth down flipped the script in the rain at Raymond James Stadium.

The Lead

On Sunday, December 7, 2025, the New Orleans Saints walked into Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida as 8.5-point underdogs and left with a 24-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of 63,125 fans playing through a steady downpour for most of the afternoon. The nfl saints vs buccaneers recap that mattered most wasn’t about a passing clinic — it was about a defense forcing five fourth-down stops and a quarterback who kept extending drives with his feet when the pocket collapsed.

Rookie signal-caller Tyler Shough scored both of his touchdowns on the ground, including a game-deciding 13-yard scramble with 8:34 left in the fourth quarter, to finish the buccaneers vs saints week 14 recap on the winning side. Baker Mayfield actually out-threw Shough for yardage and tossed a touchdown of his own, but two dropped passes in critical moments — one from Chris Godwin Jr. on fourth-and-2, another from Emeka Egbuka in the end zone — kept Tampa Bay from ever pulling away.

Match Overview Table

Core Match Statistics Overview

Anyone digging into the tampa bay buccaneers vs new orleans saints match player stats will notice something odd right away: Tampa Bay won nearly every efficiency category and still lost the game. The Bucs out-gained New Orleans 301 to 260, ran 14 more plays, and controlled the ball for over 32 minutes. None of it mattered because the Saints scored touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.

Third-Down and Red-Zone Efficiency

• Tampa Bay’s offense moved the ball between the 20s all afternoon but converted just three of 12 third downs, a number that explains why 301 total yards produced only 20 points.
• New Orleans wasn’t much sharper on third down (5-of-11), but every scoring drive that mattered ended in the end zone rather than a field goal try.

Turnover Margin and Field Position

• Both teams committed exactly one giveaway — Mayfield’s interception to Alontae Taylor and Shough’s pick to Zyon McCollum — so this game was decided by execution in the red zone, not turnovers.
• New Orleans started its 11 possessions at an average of its own 41-yard line, a field-position edge built largely on Mason Tiptoe’s 54-yard opening kickoff return that immediately set up Devin Neal’s first-quarter score.

Period-by-Period Analysis

First Quarter

• New Orleans capitalized on a 54-yard kickoff return by Tiptoe and needed just six plays to cash in on Devin Neal’s 3-yard touchdown run.
• Mayfield answered immediately, completing his first eight passes of the game and connecting with Bucky Irving for a 24-yard touchdown to tie it at 7-7.
• The driving rain hadn’t fully arrived yet, and both offenses moved the ball efficiently in the opening 15 minutes.

Second Quarter

• Conditions worsened noticeably, and Mayfield completed just one of his next nine passes after that hot start.
• Tampa Bay’s defense clamped down, holding New Orleans to 29 yards and no third-down conversions in four attempts during the period.
• Chase McLaughlin’s 41-yard field goal was the only scoring the Bucs could squeeze out of a red-zone-heavy first half, leaving Tampa Bay up just 10-7 at the break.

Third Quarter

• Shough opened the second half by breaking off an untouched 34-yard touchdown run on New Orleans’ first snap, instantly erasing the halftime lead.
• Sean Tucker punched in a 1-yard rushing score for Tampa Bay to briefly reclaim the lead at 17-14.
• Charlie Smyth’s 30-yard field goal tied the game at 17-17 heading into the fourth quarter, setting up a genuine one-score finish.

Fourth Quarter

• After Godwin dropped a fourth-and-2 conversion near midfield, New Orleans drove into scoring range and Shough spun away from Vita Vea and Logan Hall for a 13-yard game-winning touchdown scramble.
• Egbuka dropped what would have been a tying touchdown in the end zone, forcing Tampa Bay to settle for a 37-yard McLaughlin field goal that made it 24-20.
• A Deion Jones drop on a near-interception, followed by a turnover on downs at the Saints’ 41-yard line, sealed the Buccaneers vs Saints week 14 recap in New Orleans’ favor.

New Orleans Saints Player Statistics

Tyler Shough (QB): 13/20, 144 passing yards, 1 INT; 7 carries, 55 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs. Shough’s counting stats through the air were modest, but his ability to extend plays and finish drives with his legs was the single biggest factor in the New Orleans saints match player stats sheet.

Devin Neal (RB): 19 carries, 70 rushing yards, 1 TD. The rookie back handled the early-down workload with Alvin Kamara sidelined, breaking a 21-yard run to set up his own first-quarter touchdown plunge.

Devaughn Vele (WR): 3 receptions, 40 yards, long of 16. Vele led all Saints pass-catchers in yardage, providing Shough’s most reliable target on third down.

Juwan Johnson (TE): 4 receptions, 38 yards. Johnson’s four catches were the most of any Saints player, giving the passing game a steady possession threat over the middle.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Player Statistics

Baker Mayfield (QB): 14/30, 122 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 6 carries, 42 rushing yards. Mayfield’s efficiency numbers were dragged down by the weather and seven poor throws, but he still delivered the Bucs’ lone passing touchdown to Bucky Irving.

Bucky Irving (RB): 15 carries, 55 rushing yards; 2 receptions, 26 yards, 1 receiving TD. Irving’s 24-yard touchdown grab was Tampa Bay’s first score of the game and part of an 81-yard, two-way workload.

Chris Godwin Jr. (WR): 5 receptions, 55 yards on 8 targets. Godwin was Mayfield’s top target by a wide margin but is also remembered for the fourth-and-2 drop that flipped field position late.

Rachaad White (RB): 11 carries, 53 rushing yards. White supplemented Irving in the backfield and gave Tampa Bay a change-of-pace look between the tackles.

Statistical Leaders Summary Table

Why the Saints Won

Explosive Rushing Touchdowns

• New Orleans scored three rushing touchdowns to Tampa Bay’s one, turning a yardage disadvantage into the deciding scoreboard edge.
• Shough’s two long scrambles (34 and 13 yards) accounted for more than a third of the Saints’ total rushing production on the day.

Fourth-Down Defense

• New Orleans’ defense forced five fourth-down stops, repeatedly ending Tampa Bay possessions that had crossed midfield.
• The Bucs finished a brutal 2-of-7 on fourth down, a rate that neutralized their 41-play advantage in total snaps.

Winning the Explosive-Play Battle Late

• Both of the Saints’ second-half touchdown drives started with a single explosive play (a 34-yard TD run and a strong return setup), letting New Orleans strike fast without needing long, sustained drives in the rain.

Why the Buccaneers Lost

Costly Drops in Key Moments

• Chris Godwin Jr.’s drop on fourth-and-2 from the Saints’ 47 handed New Orleans a short field for what became the go-ahead score.
• Emeka Egbuka’s drop of a likely touchdown pass in the end zone forced Tampa Bay to settle for three points instead of tying the game with 4:58 remaining.

Weather-Disrupted Passing Rhythm

• Mayfield completed his first eight passes before conditions worsened, then hit just one of his next nine — a collapse in accuracy that stalled multiple scoring chances.
• The Bucs finished with only 122 net passing yards on 30 attempts, an average of barely 4.1 yards per attempt.

Historical Context & Advanced Insights

Season Series Breakdown

New Orleans’ Week 14 win split the 2025 season series 1-1 after a lopsided Week 8 loss, and it extended the Saints’ all-time regular-season edge in the rivalry.

Advanced Statistical Insights

The gap between Tampa Bay’s yardage output and its point total comes down to a simple efficiency read: the Buccaneers generated 301 yards on 69 plays (4.4 yards per play) but converted that into just 20 points, while New Orleans turned 260 yards into 24 points by scoring touchdowns on a higher share of its scoring opportunities.

Mayfield’s 55.1 passer rating reflected two dropped passes and seven off-target throws in difficult conditions, while Shough’s 65.4 rating undersold his impact given that his legs, not his arm, produced the winning points. New Orleans’ three fourth-down stops on drives that began in Buccaneers territory effectively canceled out Tampa Bay’s 11-minute time-of-possession advantage.

Game Implications & Key Lessons

What This Means for the Saints:

• The win tightened the NFC South race and gave New Orleans a signature road result against a division favorite.
• It reinforced Tyler Shough’s case to keep starting down the stretch, with the coaching staff pointing to his composure under pressure.

What This Means for the Buccaneers:

• The loss dropped Tampa Bay into a first-place tie with Carolina, with two head-to-head meetings still to come.
• Red-zone drops and fourth-down execution emerged as clear areas to clean up heading into the playoff push.

Key Lessons:

• Total yardage doesn’t win games — touchdown efficiency in the red zone does.
• A mobile quarterback can offset a modest passing line by scoring with his legs in short-yardage situations.
• Weather can flip a passing-game plan; teams that lean on the run when conditions worsen tend to control these games.
• Fourth-down aggression only pays off if the offense actually converts — Tampa Bay’s 2-of-7 rate turned opportunities into Saints possessions.
• Drops in the biggest moments carry more weight than raw target counts.
• A strong opening kickoff return can flip field position and set the tone for an entire game plan.

FAQs

Who won the Buccaneers vs Saints Week 14 game?

The New Orleans Saints won 24-20 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 7, 2025, at Raymond James Stadium.

What were Tyler Shough’s stats in the win?

Shough went 13-of-20 passing for 144 yards and an interception, adding 55 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 7 carries.

What stats did Baker Mayfield have during the defeat?

Mayfield completed 14-of-30 passes for 122 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, plus 42 rushing yards on 6 carries.

Who led all players in receiving yards?

Chris Godwin Jr. led all receivers with 5 catches for 55 yards on 8 targets for Tampa Bay.

Who scored the game-winning touchdown?

Tyler Shough scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 13-yard scramble with 8:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.

What was the attendance for this game?

Raymond James Stadium drew 63,125 fans for the Week 14 matchup, played largely in steady rain.

Conclusion

The tampa bay buccaneers vs new orleans saints match player stats prove that yardage totals mean little without touchdowns to show for them. Tampa Bay out-gained, out-possessed, and out-snapped New Orleans yet still lost because two drops in critical spots and a shaky fourth-down conversion rate handed the Saints just enough openings. Efficiency and situational execution beat raw production, and Tyler Shough’s legs made the difference that his arm alone couldn’t.