New Orleans 23, Tampa Bay 20
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 28, 2014
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Temperature:
79°
Head Official:
Brad Allen
Attendance:
59952
By SportsDirect Inc.
Saints 23, Buccaneers 20: Drew Brees and Marques Colston connected for a go-ahead 36-yard touchdown pass with 1:57 left as visiting New Orleans rallied past Tampa Bay.
Brees finished 24-of-38 for 281 yards and threw three interceptions, but led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter and threw a TD pass for the 36th consecutive game. Mark Ingram rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown and Khiry Robinson added a TD run for the Saints (7-9), who shut out the Buccaneers in the second half and erased a 13-point halftime deficit.
Doug Martin rushed for 108 yards on 19 carries and rookie Mike Evans set a franchise record with his 12th touchdown reception for the Buccaneers (2-14), who finished 0-8 at home and clinched the No. 1 draft pick. Josh McCown went 14-of-23 for 115 yards with a touchdown and an interception and was sacked for a safety three plays after the Saints took the lead.
The Buccaneers took a 20-7 halftime lead behind McCown's 6-yard TD pass to Evans, Charles Sims' 8-yard touchdown run and a pair of Patrick Murray field goals. Ingram's 1-yard plunge pulled the Saints within 20-14 with 14:02 left and after the teams traded punts, Keenan Lewis snagged a McCown pass tipped by Tavarres King for an interception with 5:20 remaining.
The Saints went 50 yards in seven plays with Colston streaking down the left sideline for the touchdown, and the New Orleans defense continued its second-half dominance on the ensuing series. After a holding penalty backed up the Buccaneers, McCown was sacked on consecutive plays as Junior Galette brought him down in the end zone to seal it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Evans (1,051) and WR Vincent Jackson (1,002) became the first Tampa Bay duo to record 1,000 receiving yards in the same season before Jackson left with a groin strain in the first quarter. … New Orleans did not score a first-quarter touchdown in any of its eight road games this season. … The Saints improved to 12-28 in games in which Brees throws multiple interceptions.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
| New Orleans |
|
Tampa Bay |
|
Mark Ingram
|
Player |
Doug Martin
|
|
14 |
Attempts |
19 |
|
57 |
Yards |
108 |
|
4.1 |
Avg Yards |
5.7 |
|
1 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
|
18 |
Long |
45 |
Receiving
| New Orleans |
|
Tampa Bay |
|
Kenny Stills
| Player |
Mike Evans
|
|
5 |
Receptions |
5 |
|
82 |
Yards |
54 |
|
16.4 |
Avg Yards |
10.8 |
|
0 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
|
44 |
Long |
18 |
Team Stats Summary
| |
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
| Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
| New Orleans
|
338 |
70 |
268 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
3.0 |
0 |
| Tampa Bay
|
280 |
183 |
97 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2.0 |
1 |
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