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The New Orleans Saints put together their most complete team performance Sunday afternoon, as they defeated the Buccaneers 35-28 in Tampa Bay.
Tampa took an early 14-0 lead with the help of a Drew Brees tipped interception and an absolutely terrible Saints defense. But Brees and his merry band of receivers were unstoppable in the first half, going 20 of 25 for 313 yards, 4 TDs and a passer rating of 141.7, and manged to tie the game at 21 before the end of the half.
But the tables would turn. In the second half the Saints defense turned stingy, sparked by a touchdown-saving Malcolm Jenkins hustle play and goal line stand. Meanwhile, the offense slowed in the second half as Brees only completed for 64 yards.
Related: Malcolm Jenkins Saves the Day
Joseph Morgan, Junior Galette and Akiem Hicks all left the game early with injuries. We'll have more info on that as it becomes available.
All in all, this should a confidence booster for the Saints. If the defense can build on what we saw in the second half this afternoon, the Saints can easily put together a significant string of wins and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Talk about the game below. Check out our full game day story stream for all posts about today's big win.
Below are complete stats from the game.
Team Stats
| NO | TB | ||
| First Downs | 23 | 26 | |
| Total Yards | 458 | 513 | |
| Passing Yards | 377 | 415 | |
| Rushing Yards | 81 | 98 | |
| Penalties (Yds) | 7(55) | 7(55) | |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 | |
| Punts (AVG) | 4(48) | 3(37) | |
| Time of Pos. | 26:15 | 33:40 |
Top Performers
| NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | ||||
| Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
| D. Brees | 27/37 | 377 | 4 | 1 |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
| P. Thomas | 13 | 32 | 1 | 6 |
| D. Sproles | 5 | 27 | 0 | 12 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
| L. Moore | 9 | 121 | 0 | 35 |
| M. Colston | 7 | 73 | 1 | 17T |
| D. Sproles | 4 | 32 | 1 | 9T |
| TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | ||||
| Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
| J. Freeman | 24/42 | 420 | 3 | 0 |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
| D. Martin | 16 | 85 | 1 | 36T |
| J. Freeman | 2 | 9 | 0 | 13 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
| V. Jackson | 7 | 216 | 1 | 95 |
| D. Clark | 5 | 51 | 1 | 15 |
| M. Williams | 4 | 36 | 0 | 17 |