Whenever the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints meet up it's a physical affair, and oftentimes things get a little testy.
Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore carry the torch for that, having both been ejected as many as three times over the course of their battles. The aggression goes both ways and extends beyond those two, though, and things started to get chippy early in Superdome on Sunday.
Lattimore tried to goad Evans into an altercation a few different times, but the bait wasn't taken. A different Saints player, though, ended up delivering the first dirty hit of the game and gave Bucs fans a scare when he sent Baker Mayfield to the turf in a heap.
Mayfield connected with Cade Otton for the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, something that gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead. The play also featured a cheap shot on Baker as he his legs were pinned and he was defenseless against the hit.
Baker Mayfield gets hit with cheap shot during Bucs touchdown
After the ball was already well out of Mayfield hands, he was hit high by Nathan Shepard while his legs were pinned by Cam Jordan. Baker stayed down and grabbed his leg after the hit but was luckily able to walk off the field under his own power.
Here's the dirty hit:
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield got lit up on a late hit by the Saints defense.
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) October 1, 2023
Mayfield made a nice play, too. pic.twitter.com/b0oX7RK75m
Despite how weirdly officiated the game had been from the Bucs perspective up to that point, the hit was so obviously dirty that a flag was thrown.
Baker was a bit ginger on the sideline but was able to get up and start moving around. To the relief of Bucs fans everywhere, Baker returned for the next offensive drive.
Despite the Saints best efforts, the Bakery remains open in New Orleans.