Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough ran for two touchdowns and the New Orleans Saints surprised the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by defeating them 24-20 on Sunday, tightening the race in the NFC South.
The Saints (3-10) frustrated Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers in a game played largely in a violent storm.
The Bucs (7-6), the four-time defending division champions, lost for the fourth time in five games and find themselves tied with the Carolina Panthers at the top of the section standings. The Bucs and Panthers will meet twice in the final three games.
After Chris Godwin failed to catch Mayfield’s pass on a fourth-and-2 from the Saints’ 47, New Orleans took the lead.
Shough eluded Logan Hall and Vita Vea in the backfield and raced 13 yards for a touchdown to give the Saints a 24-17 lead.
The Buccaneers had a chance to tie, but Emeka Egbuka fumbled Mayfield’s pass in the end zone, and they settled for a 37-yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin that cut the lead to 24-20 with less than five minutes remaining.
The Bucs had another chance in the final two minutes, but Mayfield lost the magic that animated him at the start of the season. The Bucs quarterback offered an ugly performance by completing 14 of his 30 passes for only 122 yards.
