The visiting Saints won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. That gave the Bucs what they wanted — in theory — and allowed them to start the game with their best foot forward: with the offense in control.

Quarterback Jameis Winston started the game off with a bang, floating a perfect pass down the sideline to wide receiver Mike Evans for a 36-yard gain. Following that play, two big runs, one by running back Peyton Barber and the other by Winston himself, got the Bucs into striking distance. That strike was delivered to tight end Cameron Brate, as the Bucs started the game with a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

On the Saints first drive, it looked like the Bucs defense was going to hold them early. two great plays by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul in run support left the Saints with a third-and-long on their first series. They converted that and another first down to wide receiver Michael Thomas, but once they got to midfield they were forced to punt.

On their following drive, the Bucs had an 8-play drive of their own that ended in just a punt back to the Saints. But the poor field position and some even more players stepping up for the Bucs on the defensive side forced a three-and-out for New Orleans, their first of the game.

On the Bucs next drive they took their time, traveling 47 yards in 12 plays. Two first down passes to Adam Humphries and Antony Auclair got the ball rolling, and then some consistent rushing got the Bucs into field goal range. But, as all good things must come to an end, kicker Cairo Santos’ perfect streak ended on this Sunday, as he missed his first kick of the game. That kept the score at 7-0 in favor of the Buccaneers.

As a response, the Saints took their next drive 52 yards in nine plays to get on the score board with a field goal of their own. That brought the score to 7-3.

After a Bucs punt, the Saints took over once again, but on their fourth play of the drive, Buccaneers linebacker Adarius Taylor sniffed out a screen pass perfectly for an interception. Six plays later, the Bucs were in the end zone themselves to extend their lead to 14-3 at halftime.

As they decided to defer to the second half to start the game, the Saints opened up the second half with possession, but on their second play of the second half, they fumbled it away and the Buccaneers defense jumped on top of it. Unfortunately, that turnover didn’t turn into points, even with the good field position, as Santos missed his second field goal of the game. That kept the score at 14-3.

After the Saints were forced to punt on their next possession, the Buccaneers were able to pick up one first down before being slowed down themselves. However, the big difference was the fact that when the Buccaneers attempted their punt, it was blocked and recovered by New Orleans. The Saints then took all momentum from the Buccaneers and scored with a two point conversion to boot, making the score 14-11.

The Bucs looked helpless on their next drive, going -13 yards in three plays before punting it away. new Orleans then took the ball 51 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown, giving them their first lead of the game at 18-14.

The Bucs followed up their negative 13-yard drive with negative one-yard drive backed up near their own end zone. They were forced to punt against after just three plays and Brees and company went back to work. After a few small passes and some complimentary runs, running back Mark Ingram went beast mode on a 17-yard carry to extend the Saints lead 25-14.

After another Bucs punt, the Saints got the ball back and were able to control the clock the way they like to. With a stead diet of Ingram and Karama running the ball, the Saints were able to drain most of what was left on the clock. With just 1:15 left on the clock, New Orleans extended their lead with a field goal to make the score 28-14.

And that’s how it would end, as the Buccaneers win streak was stopped at two.