6 takeaways from Buccaneers win over Saints
By Ryan Doyle
Ryan Fitzpatrick has himself a day and the Todd Monken era has begun, plus more takeaways from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week one win.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers upset the New Orleans Saints, 48-40 to kick off the 2018 season. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a career performance as the Buccaneers tied their franchise record for most points in a game.
Fitzpatrick threw for a career-high 417 yards as he led Tampa Bay to what was the biggest upset of the week.
The Buccaneers talented receiving corps showed why they are the most talented group in the NFL. Potential breakout candidate Chris Godwin and the rest of the Tampa Bay wideouts were running wide open for the entire game.
Drew Brees and the Saints offense put on a show, but one significant turnover was all that Tampa Bay needed to separate themselves.
The revamped defensive line didn’t manage much pressure as the secondary was left in a tight spot for the entire game. The star-studded New Orleans offense came extremely close to keeping up with Tampa’s offense.
‘Fitzmagic’
With just over two minutes left, the Saints had all the momentum. They cut the lead to eight points, and the Bucs faced a 3rd-and-11. Fitzpatrick scrambled for a first down to lock down the victory for Tampa Bay.
That clutch play was epitomized the fantastic performance for Fitzpatrick. He couldn’t have played better. He completed 75 percent of his passes and added four touchdowns in what will be remembered as the best game of his career.
One of the keys for Fitzpatrick was his deep ball accuracy. He hit O.J. Howard, Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson down the field on multiple occasions. Tampa’s ability to go over the top of the Saints defense opened up the underneath routes.
‘Fitz’ went toe-to-toe with Brees and came out on top. Who could have predicted that?