6 winners (and 2 losers) from Buccaneers dominant win over Saints
By Josh Hill
Winner: Antoine Winfield Jr.
No player was more dominant or disruptive on the field for either team than Antoine Winfield Jr.
He was all over the place on Sunday, leading the Bucs in tackles and turning in a sack along the way. Winfield arguably had the biggest play in the game, one that changed the entire trajectory of the game and proved how valuable he is to the team.
After a Baker Mayfield interception ended a promising Bucs drive, the Saints were set up for an end-of-half drive that would have swung some serious momentum back in their direction. The Superdome was rocking, the Saints were licking their chops, and Tampa Bay was in danger of letting things get out of control. That's when Winfield stripped fullback Adam Prentice and recovered it, giving the Bucs the ball back with a chance to score.
Not for nothing, but this marks the second time this season that the Buccaneers defense has made some sort of change-altering play right before halftime. Christian Izien ripped the ball out of K.J. Osborne's hands at the goalline in Week 1, a turnover that kept seven points off the board for Minnesota and ended up swinging momentum to Tampa Bay's side. Winfield did the same thing on Sunday, stripping the ball away from Adam Prentice and momentum away from the Saints.
That's the play that shifted the game, as it gave the Bucs a 14-3 lead heading into halftime, but it wasn't the only big play Winfield made. Later in the game, he broke up a dime from Derek Carr that looked like it was going to be a huge touchdown for New Orleans. Instead, Winfield expertly defended the pass and kept New Orleans out of the endzone.
Winfield was making plays like this all afternoon and routinely made sure the Bucs weren't going to lose any ground on his watch. That's the special type of player Winfield is, and his performance on Sunday reminded everyone that he's arguably the best safety in the entire league -- and the Bucs would be very wise to pay him as such.