The Saints had not won a season opener since the first game of the 2013 season, and in 2018 it was the same old, same old story again my friend. On Sunday in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, New Orleans came out swinging, scoring on their first three possessions and totaling 24 points in the first half. You would think that scoring 24 points in one half would have the Saints comfortably in the lead? Think again: New Orleans’ defense allowed Tampa Bay to have just as much success, looking every bit the porous and inept unit that we have come to loathe during Sean Payton’s tenure. In the first half, the Bucs did not punt once and scored a franchise record 31 points (with seven of those coming on a Mike Gillislee fumble returned for a touchdown). In the second half, the Saints offense suddenly became sluggish, beset by penalties, drops and a costly fumble by Michael Thomas. The Bucs found the end zone once again in the third quarter, upping their lead to 17 points in the third quarter at 41-24. The fourth quarter brought much of the same, Tampa absolutely perforating the Saints defense and scoring at will as the lead ballooned up to 24 points. New Orleans would finally get on the board with touchdowns by Alvin Kamara and two points conversions to get within eight at 48-40. But Ryan Fitzpatrick (who I’m sure was actually Tom Brady disguised as a Buccaneer) continued lighting up the Saints secondary, throwing for over 400 yards and using his feet to convert a crucial third and eleven play late in the fourth quarter. The defense had an absolutely horrendous day, unable to put any pressure of Fitzpatrick and not much better against the run. Could it be a fluke? Next week against the Cleveland Browns should tell us very quickly where this season is likely to go: another year of shootouts where Drew Brees has to throw 50 times a game, or a season like last year, where the running game and the defense are competent enough to keep the team balanced and make them a contender. For now, and although it is just one game, the 2018 Saints are big, gigantic fraud! *** Below is a timeline of the game as it unfolded, if you can stomach to read. 1st Quarter Saints take the opening kickoff all the way down for a touchdown by Alvin Kamara NO: 7 - TB: 0 The Buccaneers respond immediately, with DeSean Jackson for a 58-yard touchdown for a 58-yard touchdown NO: 7 - TB: 7 Saints go back down the field and have to settle for a Wil Lutz field goal field goal NO: 10 - TB: 7 Tampa Bay easily gets into Saints territory on runs by Peyton Barber Fitzpatrick gets into the end zone for a touchdown NO: 10 - TB: 14 Saints just as quickly get into Bucs territory as the quarter ends This has all the makings of a shootout early! 2nd Quarter Brees finds Ted Ginn Jr. for a 28-yard touchdown to open the second quarter finds for a 28-yard touchdown to open the second quarter NO: 17 - TB: 14 Bucs get into the Saints’ red zone in the blink of an eye Tampa stall and Chandler Catanzaro ties the game with a 33-yard field goal ties the game with a 33-yard field goal NO: 17 - TB: 17 Saints go three-and-out for the first time as Brees is sacked is sacked Bucs dice up the defense again and move down the field with ease Fitzpatrick finds Chris Godwin for a touchdown for a touchdown NO: 17 - TB: 24 With just over four minutes left in the first half, the Bucs haven’t punted yet Mike Gillislee fumbles the ball and the Buccaneers recover for a touchdown fumbles the ball and the Buccaneers recover for a touchdown NO: 17 - TB: 31 Saints get into Bucs territory and into the Bucs red zone Brees finds Michael Thomas alone in the end zone for a touchdown finds alone in the end zone for a touchdown NO: 24 - TB: 31 Buccaneers take a knee, at the half Saints are down seven 3rd Quarter Bucs start with the ball as they had deferred after winning the toss Bucs easily get into the red zone aided by Saints penalties Tampa stalls and settle for a 36-yard field goal NO: 24 - TB: 34 Saints go three-and-out for the second time of the game and punt Bucs go three-and-out and punt for the first time Saints stall and have to punt once again Ryan Fitzpatrick finds Mike Evans for a 50-yard touchdown finds for a 50-yard touchdown NO: 24 - TB: 41 Saints get into Bucs territory, but Michael Thomas fumbles the ball away fumbles the ball away Bucs take over as the quarter ends 4th Quarter Ken Crawley gifts the Bucs another first down on a terrible PI gifts the Bucs another first down on a terrible PI Ryan Fitzpatrick finds DeSean Jackson for a touchdown for a touchdown NO: 24 - TB: 48 Saints drive into the Bucs red zone Alvin Kamara runs into the end zone for a touchdown runs into the end zone for a touchdown Kamara converts the two-point conversion NO: 32 - TB: 48 On third down, Bucs go deep and find DeSean Jackson into Saints territory Bucs stall while running the clock and settle for a field goal Catanzaro misses the field goal as the Saints take over misses the field goal as the Saints take over Saints get into Bucs territory in two plays Brees finds Alvin Kamara for a touchdown for a touchdown Ted Ginn Jr. converts the two-point try converts the two-point try NO: 40 - TB: 48 The Bucs take over and run the clock, converting a big 3rd and 11 play Buccaneers win the game 48-40.<doc-sep>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off their 2018 regular season with a tall task, heading to New Orleans to face the Saints, the defending champions of their division. Both teams will be missing a key offensive player due to suspension, as Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston and Saints running back Mark Ingram will both be absent for Sunday’s game. But the Bucs got a late and disappointing surprise to their lineup when Brent Grimes suffered a groin injury that will keep him out of the lineup Sunday. That will leave Tampa Bay without their best corner, putting added pressure on Vernon Hargreaves III and second-round rookies M.J. Stewart and Carlton Davis to keep future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees and his vast array of explosive weapons at bay. Tampa Bay should get improved pass rush from new additions like Jason Pierre-Paul and Vinny Curry, but they’ll have to make a massive impact to keep Brees from taking advantage of a susceptible Bucs secondary. On offense, the Bucs have the offensive playmakers to hang with the Saints in a shootout, but can veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick fully maximize their potential? Expect the Bucs to stay in this game with some big plays of their own on both sides of the ball, but in the end, Brees and the Saints will have too much firepower, putting the game away with a late touchdown drive. FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Saints 34, Bucs 24<doc-sep>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished last in the NFC South last season at 5-11, and with starting quarterback Jameis Winston suspended for the first three games of the season, not many people had the Bucs as a team to beat in the division. Which is why their dismantling of the New Orleans Saints in the first half of today’s game has many people scratching their head. The Saints, who won the division last year, have given up 31 first half points to the Bucs. Tampa Bay has been led by the surprisingly stellar play of journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Harvard man has two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, all in the first half. See how Twitter reacted to the Bucs’ big half. Weird that the Bucs look great when they don’t have a lunatic QB give a nonsense pregame speech while eating his fingers. — Matt Collette (@elmambablanco) September 9, 2018 The bucs are who we thought they’d be last year 😂 — The GoodTimer (@CaptainJack_CSA) September 9, 2018 bruh the bucs lol — Mista Midnight 🔴⚫ (@sports_midnight) September 9, 2018 Bucs wtf — foo (@LAFLAREDAGOAT) September 9, 2018 Most staggering early result so far has to be the New Orleans Saints. A defensive debacle in the first half to Ryan Fitzpatrick of all people and now trailing 31-17 at home to the Bucs. — Ian Cameron (@bobano) September 9, 2018 My Bucs have 31 in the first half and I don’t quite know how to handle this — Matt Tucker (@matucker09) September 9, 2018 Bucs up on da Saints by two scores pic.twitter.com/EaQ9FnSd7H — Jerrell. Time to Defend the Ring (@YeahDro) September 9, 2018 BUCS with 31 POINTS WTF!! — Jethro.G (@JDUBG) September 9, 2018 Ready for my first week 1 overreaction?#Bucs might be pretty good. https://t.co/qV6K1qMSFY — James Tully (@JamesTullyTV) September 9, 2018 Who needs Jameis Winston when you have Ryan Fitzpatrick? Impressive game so far by our (hopefully) permanent starter and the #Bucs! Let's keep this up all season long! #NFLSunday — AJ Papagno (@AJPapagno) September 9, 2018<doc-sep>With the Buccaneers coming into Sunday’s season opener as nearly double-digit underdogs, expectations obviously weren’t all that high. They were without their starting quarterback on the road against the defending NFC South champion Saints. The defense still had a ton of question marks. To add to that, veteran cornerback Brent Grimes was a late addition to the injury report. Tampa Bay had no chance. But then the game started and the Bucs looked better than they have in years. The offense fired on all cylinders and the defense did just enough to help Tampa Bay to a 48-40 victory. The team is now 3-0 in season openers under Dirk Koetter. Let’s get to some reactions from the season-opening win! Observations and Reactions— General The Bucs’ 31 first-half points tied a franchise record. The offense (which we’ll get to in full shortly) put up 24 and the defense added a touchdown of its own. But it didn’t end there, as they continued to roll in the second half. By the end of the day, they had tied their record for points in a single game with 48. The last time Tampa Bay put up 48 points was in its Super Bowl win on Jan. 26, 2003. Tampa Bay dismantled New Orleans completely, which won the division last year and came one play away from the NFC Championship Game. The Bucs quickly proved that they aren’t going to be an easy team to beat, even without starting quarterback Jameis Winston for the first three games. for the first three games. Injury-wise, the Bucs were pretty unlucky throughout the day. Vernon Hargreaves left with a shoulder injury, DeSean Jackson left with a concussion and Justin Evans got shaken up at one point. left with a concussion and got shaken up at one point. As far as penalties are concerned, Tampa Bay will have to clean some things up. It was flagged seven times for 70 yards. The victory makes that look like less of an issue, but it still isn’t ideal. Observations and Reactions— Offense Offensively, the Bucs looked more explosive than they’ve been since 2015. They averaged 8.5 yards per play, totaled 529 yards and scored on their first five drives (not including the short possession at the end of the first half). That explosiveness came under the watch of offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who took care of play-calling for the first time in a regular season game. There was a noticeable difference in the way the game was called and it was excellent to see. 35-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick , starting in place of Jameis Winston , was on fire all day long. He completed 21 of his 28 passes for 417 yards (a career-high) and four touchdowns. He added 36 yards and a touchdown on the ground, including a crucial 12-yard scramble on 3rd & 11 with just over two minutes to go. Because of the conversion, he was able to kneel down three straight times to complete the victory. , starting in place of , was on fire all day long. He completed 21 of his 28 passes for 417 yards (a career-high) and four touchdowns. He added 36 yards and a touchdown on the ground, including a crucial 12-yard scramble on 3rd & 11 with just over two minutes to go. Because of the conversion, he was able to kneel down three straight times to complete the victory. Tampa Bay’s receiving corps looked every bit as dangerous as expected. Mike Evans caught seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, DeSean Jackson went for 146 yards and two scores on five receptions and O.J. Howard totaled 54 yards on two catches. caught seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, went for 146 yards and two scores on five receptions and totaled 54 yards on two catches. The run game complemented Fitzpatrick well, with Peyton Barber rushing for 69 yards on 19 carries. He didn’t do anything too flashy, but he got the job done. well, with rushing for 69 yards on 19 carries. He didn’t do anything too flashy, but he got the job done. The revamped offensive line was really good, allowing no sacks and providing Fitzpatrick with plenty of time to throw. Those deep touchdown passes wouldn’t have connected without the blocking up front. Plus, new center Ryan Jensen showed some fire when the Saints took a couple of cheap shots at his quarterback. He did draw a penalty, but you can never be too mad when a guy is sticking up for his teammate like that. showed some fire when the Saints took a couple of cheap shots at his quarterback. He did draw a penalty, but you can never be too mad when a guy is sticking up for his teammate like that. Tampa Bay didn’t turn the ball over, which is a big reason for its ability to take control of the game. Rookie Ronald Jones II was a healthy scratch on Sunday, which is a bad sign for where he is after a rough preseason. Observations and Reactions— Defense The defense struggled for much of the day, allowing 40 points and 475 total yards. Most of the issues came in the passing game, as Drew Brees completed 37 of his 45 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns. completed 37 of his 45 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns. With Brent Grimes out, the secondary was left vulnerable for a veteran like Brees to pick apart. Rookie Carlton Davis got his first start and did a few good things, but got picked on a ton in the first half. Ryan Smith had his own issues as well. out, the secondary was left vulnerable for a veteran like to pick apart. Rookie Carlton Davis got his first start and did a few good things, but got picked on a ton in the first half. had his own issues as well. All things considered, the new-look defensive line played pretty well.<doc-sep>
NEW ORLEANS – Who saw this coming? If your hand is now raised, please excuse me if I don't think you're being entirely truthful. Missing their starting quarterback, the Bucs went into one of the toughest buildings in the NFL. Yet they went out and tied a franchise record for the most points in a game. What a way to start the season. Here is the report card from the Bucs' 48-40 victory over the Saints: DEFENDING THE DEFENSE The Bucs defense wasn't exactly stellar Sunday. It gave up 475 yards and 40 points. Drew Brees, who has been known to make a lot of defenses look feeble, threw for 439 yards. And because the defense had its troubles, the outcome was, disturbingly, in doubt until the final two minutes even though the Bucs put up 48 points. Having said all that, two big splash plays from the defense were crucial to the victory. First, Justin Evans scooped up a fumble caused by Vernon Hargreaves and raced 34 yards for a touchdown to spot Tampa Bay a 31-17 lead in the second quarter. Then, in the third quarter, another fumble in the secondary — this one caused by Kwon Alexander and recovered by Ryan Smith — snuffed out another Saints drive. "What happens in a track meet?'' Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said. "Turnovers are what decide it, and that's probably what happened.'' GRADE: B for ballhawking. HERE WE GO AGAIN The final few minutes were a bit nerve-racking because, once again, the Bucs couldn't make a makeable field goal. Chandler Catanzaro could've given the Bucs a 51-32 lead and iced the game with just under five minutes left, but his 44-yard field goal attempt drifted wide right. Next thing you know, the Saints cut it to a one-score game (48-40), forcing the Bucs to pick up a first down on their last drive to close out the game. Catanzaro's miss also kept the Bucs from setting a franchise record for points in a game. Just once, Bucs fans would love to be able to trust their kicker in important situations. To his credit, Catanzaro did make two other attempts from 33 and 36 yards. GRADE: C. WHERE'S JONES? Running back Ronald Jones, the Bucs' second-round pick, was inactive for Sunday's game. Despite a disappointing preseason in which Jones rushed for 22 yards on 28 carries, Bucs coaches said all the right things about Jones. Yet, the Bucs decided to sit him down, and that's a bad sign for a team that isn't what you would call loaded at running back. It's far too early to suggest Jones is a bust. He might have a long and productive career ahead of him. But Sunday was an ominous start. GRADE: Incomplete. STAND BY YOUR MAN The game got a little testy in the third quarter, especially after Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was roughed up by the Saints' David Onyemata. Two plays later, Fitzpatrick was roughed up again, this time by Marcus Davenport. By that time, Bucs guard Ali Marpet had had enough. He immediately went after Davenport and shoved him (without getting a penalty). Two plays later, Bucs center Ryan Jensen was called for unnecessary roughness while sticking up for Fitzpatrick. Give both credit for protecting their quarterback. GRADE: A. HAND IT TO THEM Might the Bucs have the best all-around receiving corps in the NFL? Seriously, there might not be a better crew than wide receivers Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Chris Godwin, Adam Humphries, and tight ends O.J. Howard and Cam Brate. There's no question that Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had a phenomenal day, but those receivers made some spectacular catches. They are so good that Fitzpatrick's biggest dilemma is figuring out which guy to throw to. GRADE: A. WHO'S CALLING? So who called the plays for the Bucs on Sunday? Was it head coach Dirk Koetter or offensive coordinator Todd Monken? Koetter was coy and a little testy when asked about that after the game. "What do you want me to say?'' Koetter said. "We ran the Bucs offense.'' One could argue that his point was: Who cares? In the end, it doesn't matter. If the Bucs continue to have open receivers running up and down the field and their quarterback throwing dimes, whoever is calling the plays looks brilliant. GRADE: A