Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints: Box score, stats and summary feat. Spencer Rattler

Not even the most excited fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints were ready for what was to come in their Week 6 matchup. These two teams exploded for an offensive show, with 51 points scored in the first half alone at Spencer Rattler's first-ever NFL start.

The NFC South has provided excellent matchups for the league this year, with Falcons-Saints and Buccaneers-Falcons providing two of the best games of the season. However, with Derek Carr out, the expectation was a bit low for this matchup.

Boy, were they on to something.

But then the second half arrived and the script flipped over again. The Saints scored 27 points in the second quarter and absolutely nothing at the rest of the game. After Baker Mayfield's turnover fest ended, the visitors dominated the rest of the game, putting a 50-burger away from home against a divisional rival.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints box score

Team	First Quarter	Second Quarter	Third Quarter	Fourth Quarter	Final Score
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	17	7	7	20	51
New Orleans Saints	0	27	0	0	27

Tampa Bay Buccaneers box score

Quarterback

Quarterback	Passing Yds	Completions	Pass Atts	Pass TDs	INTs	Rush yds	Rush att
Baker Mayfield	325	24	36	4	3	29	3

Rushing and receiving

Player	Rush Attempts	Rushing Yards	Rushing TDs	Receptions	Receiving Yards	Receiving TDs
Bucky Irving	14	81	1	2	24	0
Sean Tucker	14	136	1	3	56	1
Chris Godwin	0	0	0	11	125	2
Ryan Miller	0	0	0	1	39	0
Mike Evans	0	0	0	2	34	0
Sterling Shepard	4	31	0	3	23	0
Cade Otton	0	0	0	2	15	0
-	0	0	0	0	0	0

Defense

Player	Tackles (Total)	Sacks	Interceptions
Vita Vea	4	1	0
Lavonte David	9	1	0
Tykee Smith	5	0	1
Antoine Winfield	4	0	0
Cade Otton	2	0	0
Logan Hall	4	0	0
Tyrek Funderburk	4	0	0
Jordan Whitehead	7	0	0
YaYa Diaby	3	0	0
William Gholston	3	1	0
Joe Tryon	2	0	0
Jamel Dean	1	0	0
Zyon McCollum	1	0	1
Calijah Kancey	2	1	0
Anthony Nelson	2	0	0
K. J. Britt	3	0.5	0
Chris Braswell	3	0.5	0
J. J. Russell	2	0	0

New Orleans Saints box score

Quarterback

Quarterback	Passing Yds	Completions	Pass Atts	Pass TDs	INTs	Rush yds	Rush att
Spencer Rattler	243	22	40	1	2	27	4

Rushing and receiving

Player	Rush Attempts	Rushing Yards	Rushing TDs	Receptions	Receiving Yards	Receiving TDs
Alvin Kamara	13	40	1	5	24	0
Jordan Mims	1	5	0	2	13	0
Rashid Shaheed	1	2	0	1	11	0
Jamaal Williams	2	7	0	0	0	0
Foster Moreau	0	0	0	2	54	0
Bub Means	0	0	0	5	45	1
Juwan Johnson	0	0	0	3	48	0
Cedrick Wilson Jr	0	0	0	2	28	0

Defense

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Player	Tackles (Total)	Sacks	Interceptions
Paulson Adebo	10	0	1
Marshon Lattimore	10	0	0
Jordan Howden	11	0	0
Kool-Aid McKinstry	3	0	0
J.T. Gray	5	0	0
Cedrick Wilson	3	0	0
Willie Gay	4	0	0
Demario Davis	6	0	0
Alontae Taylor	6	0	0
Tyrann Mathieu	1	0	0
Johnathan Abram	7	0	1
Nathan Shepherd	3	0	0
Rico Peyton	1	0	0
Anfernee Orji	1	0	0
Cameron Jordan	1	0	1
D'Marco Jackson	1	0	0
Jaylan Ford	2	0	0
Chase Young	2	0	0

Buccaneers vs. Saints game summary

With Derek Carr out for the game with an oblique injury, this was the first time that New Orleans fans would be able to see what they've got in Spencer Rattler. There were some encouraging signs, but as the game went on, it became clear that he still has a long way to go before getting ready.

Tampa Bay opened 17-0 in the first quarter, and although they were losing at halftime, they got the control of the game back as soon as they returned from the locker room. Offensively, they had more juice; defensively, they found a way to contain Rattler's quick-strike game.

Baker Mayfield threw just six passes in the second half, but two of those were touchdowns. Chris Godwin also had a fantastic game, with two touchdowns, over 100 receiving yards and a long touchdown that changed the outcome of the game entirely.

The best team walked away with a win, and Tampa Bay proved once again that last year's run to the NFC Divisional Round wasn't a fluke. They are ready to compete with everyone.

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