With the Panthers on their bye week, the Bucs came into Sunday’s Week 14 game against the Saints with a chance to extend their lead in the NFC South to a full game with a win. Of course, with a loss to 2-10 New Orleans at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay would lose its half-game lead over Carolina and the two teams would be tied atop the division with four weeks to play.

On paper, this game appeared to be quite the mismatch. The 7-5 Bucs came in relatively healthy compared to earlier this season to face a 2-10 Saints team that hasn’t played a meaningful football game in several weeks. Not to mention, Tampa Bay beat this New Orleans team 23-3 on the road back in Week 8.

It certainly didn’t play out like a mismatch this time around, though, as the Bucs found themselves in a real fight under miserable conditions in Tampa. The two teams battled it out in pouring rain for much of the afternoon, and it turned into a real back-and-forth affair. The Saints went up 7-0 early, but the Bucs tied it up at 7-7 right after that and eventually took a 10-7 lead into halftime.

Out of the break, New Orleans went up 14-10 only for Tampa Bay to answer right back and take a 17-14 lead. And from there, the Saints tied things up at 17 just before the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter then belonged to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, as he led the go-ahead touchdown drive, which ended with his second rushing touchdown of the day, before making some key third-down throws to help put the game away.

One last drive for Baker Mayfield and his offense went absolutely nowhere and embarrassingly enough, the Bucs lost to the previously two-win Saints, 24-20, to drop to 7-6 on the season.

Here’s a recap of all the action from a rainy and miserable Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium:

Saints 24, Bucs 20

The game started about as poorly as the Bucs could’ve drawn it out, with Mason Tipton returning the opening kickoff 54 yards to the Tampa Bay 45-yard line. Then, after three double-digit gains in five plays, Devin Neal scored from 3 yards out to give the Saints a quick 7-0 lead. In just 2:36, they surpassed the three points they scored back when the two teams met in Week 8.

The Bucs had a response, though, as Baker Mayfield worked the offense across midfield before a 21-yard catch and run by Chris Godwin Jr. set up a 24-yard catch and run for a touchdown by Bucky Irving. Just like that, Tampa Bay drew even at 7-7.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The second drive for the Buccaneer defense was much better. Vita Vea got to Tyler Shough for a first-down sack, which put the Saints behind the sticks and ultimately forced them into a quick three-and-out.

Mayfield and the Bucs offense got the ball across midfield again on their next drive, but a 4th & 1 pitch out to Irving ended in disaster as Carl Granderson dropped him for a loss of 7 yards. That set New Orleans up with good field position once again, though this time, it didn’t turn into anything. That’s because, on the other side of the quarter break, Charlie Smyth missed a 48-yard field goal wide left to keep it a tie game.

The next Tampa Bay drive didn’t go much of anywhere and eventually led to Riley Dixon’s first punt of the day, which set the Saints up from their own 16-yard line.

Early in the next New Orleans possession, miscommunication between quarterback and receiver left Zyon McCollum alone to come up with his first interception of the season, which he returned to the Saints’ 40-yard line. After a 12-yard run by Irving to start the next drive, a third-down miss left the Bucs to settle for a field goal try. And despite the heavy rain, the operation was smooth and Chase McLaughlin knocked a 41-yard field goal through to give Tampa Bay a 10-7 lead with 9:11 left in the second quarter.

The Saints couldn’t muster up a response on their next drive either, with Chris Braswell coming through with a crucial third-down sack to keep the momentum on the Bucs’ side.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell and Saints QB Tyler Shough – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That momentum came to a massive halt not long after, even after Mayfield converted a 3rd & 8 with a 12-yard run. Faced with another 4th-&-1 situation near midfield, Tampa Bay went for it again and was stopped again, with Demario Davis dropping Sean Tucker for no gain.

Turnabout is fair play, though, as the Bucs defense came right back to stop the Saints on a 4th-&-1 situation of their own. Haason Reddick was credited with the tackle for loss on the play, but it came at a cost as he limped off the field after the play.

There was nothing doing from there, so it was just a 10-7 lead for the Bucs heading into halftime.

Then, as poorly as the first half started for Tampa Bay, the second half began just as badly. Mayfield was intercepted by Alontae Taylor to set New Orleans up with advantageous field position, then Shough turned that takeaway into points by running away from the Buccaneer defense for a 34-yard score. That quickly, it was a 14-10 lead for the visitors.

Saints QB Tyler Shough and Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: USA Today

But like they did when the Saints scored their first touchdown, the Bucs answered. Jonas Sanker gifted them a defensive pass interference penalty to keep their drive going after what looked like a third-down miss, and the offense actually took advantage of it. Rachaad White ran for 23 yards on three carries to get the ball into the red zone, then Sean Tucker took it down to the 1-yard line before punching it in on the next play. After a seven-play, 65-yard drive, the home team was back on top at 17-14.

The Buccaneer defense couldn’t step up with a stop after that score, though, allowing the Saints to run right down the field with a heavy dose of Devin Neal. Only after a penalty cost New Orleans a 4th-&-1 conversion inside the 10 did the drive come to an end with a game-tying field goal from 30 yards out.

Another fourth-down failure by Tampa Bay early in the fourth quarter gave the ball over to New Orleans near midfield, and the ensuing possession was all about missed opportunities for Todd Bowles’ defense. On a 3rd & 10, Chris Olave got wide open for a 12-yard gain. Later, on 3rd & 8, Lavonte David missed Devin Neal and allowed another conversion. And then on a play that saw Logan Hall, Vita Vea and Anthony Nelson all have a chance at getting to Shough for a sack, the rookie quarterback still found a way to score from 13 yards out, giving the Saints a 24-17 lead.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

Bucky Irving ran for 32 yards on the first play of the Bucs’ next drive, but after Mayfield and Egbuka couldn’t connect for a wide-open touchdown, Tampa Bay settled for a McLaughlin field goal to get within 24-20 with 4:54 left.

That left Tampa Bay needing to get a stop, which proved to be a problem. Shough kept finding a way to convert on third down, taking the game under two minutes and exhausting the Bucs of their remaining timeouts before the Saints eventually punted the ball away with only 1:54 to go.

The Buccaneer offense didn’t have any late-game magic to offer on this dreary day, failing to get a first down to bring an absolutely embarrassing afternoon to an end with a 24-20 loss.

Baker Mayfield was just 14-of-30 for 122 yards, a touchdown and an interception on the day. Emeka Egbuka’s struggles continued, as he caught only two of his nine targets and had two crucial drops in a four-point game, one of which would’ve gone for a game-tying touchdown.

The Tampa Bay run game slightly picked it up in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. Bucky Irving’s 55 yards led the way, but Rachaad White’s 53 yards on 11 carries resulted in a healthier 4.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Sean Tucker scored the offense’s lone second-half touchdown.

Bucs DT Vita Vea ILBs SirVocea Dennis and Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs defense was completely embarrassed by the league’s worst-ranked offense, with rookie Tyler Shough completing 13 of his 20 passes for 144 yards and an interception while rushing for 55 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Devin Neal ran 19 times for 70 yards and a touchdown himself, and as a team, New Orleans ran for 139 yards on what is supposed to be a top-10 rush defense.

The Saints also went 5-of-11 on third downs, while the Bucs were held to a 3-of-13 mark in that department.

The Bucs (7-6) will now face a short week before trying to get back on track when they return to the field on Thursday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons (4-9) at Raymond James Stadium for the annual creamsicle game. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m.