TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough ran for two touchdowns and the New Orleans Saints upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-20 on Sunday to tighten the NFC South race.
The lowly Saints (3-10), who were 8 1/2-point underdogs, frustrated Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (7-6) in a sloppy game mostly played through a driving storm.
The four-time defending division champion Bucs lost for the fourth time in five games and fell into a first-place
tie with Carolina. The Bucs and Panthers face off twice in the final three games.
After Chris Godwin Jr. couldn’t hold onto Mayfield’s pass on fourth-and-2 from the Saints 47, New Orleans drove for the go-ahead score.
Shough spun away from Logan Hall and Vita Vea in the backfield and scrambled 13 yards for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead near the midpoint of the fourth quarter.
The Buccaneers had a chance to tie it but Emeka Egbuka dropped Mayfield’s pass in the end zone, and they settled for a 37-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin that cut the deficit to 24-20 with under five minutes remaining.
The Bucs had another chance in the final two minutes but Mayfield ran out of his early-season magic.
First, Deion Jones dropped a potential interception that would’ve set Tampa Bay up near its own 40. Instead, the Bucs got the ball after a punt at their 20 with 1:48 remaining and no timeouts.
Mayfield threw two incomplete passes, ran for 7 yards and threw a 2-yard pass to Cade Otton.
Shough finished with 144 yards passing and 55 rushing with one pick.
Mayfield had 122 yards passing on a 14-of-30 afternoon with one interception.
Shough’s 34-yard TD run on the opening drive of the second half was his career score on the ground. It gave New Orleans a 14-10 lead.
Helped by a 29-yard pass-interference penalty on Jonas Sanker that wiped out an incomplete pass to Tez Johnson on third-and-10, the Buccaneers reclaimed the lead a few plays later.
Rachaad White ran 11, 7 and 5 yards. Then Sean Tucker ran for 13 yards and scored from the 1 to make it 17-14.
The Saints answered with a 30-yard field goal by Charlie Smyth that tied it at 17-all. Shough completed a pass on fourth-and-1 to the Buccaneers 5, but a penalty for illegal man downfield forced the Saints to settle for a field goal.
A 54-yard kickoff return by Mason Tipton to open the game set the Saints up at the Buccaneers 45. Devin Neal capped a quick drive with a 3-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.
The Saints had just one touchdown in the first quarter this season before that score.
The Bucs went for a fourth-and-1 at the Saints 45 late in the first quarter but Carl Granderson stopped Irving for a 7-yard loss on a deep pitch.
Sean Tucker was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 at the Saints 49 late in the second quarter.
On the ensuing possession, New Orleans went for fourth-and-1 at the Buccaneers 42 and Neal was dropped for a 3-yard loss by Haason Reddick.
The Bucs finally converted on fourth-and-1 when Mayfield ran for 4 yards on the last drive of the first half, which ended with no points.
Undrafted rookie Benjamin Chukwama made his first NFL start for the Buccaneers, filling in for All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs.
Saints: RB Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle), T Taliese Fuaga (ankle), S Justin Reid (knee) were inactive.
Buccaneers: LG Ben Bredeson left in the second quarter with a knee injury. ... DB Tykee Smith exited late in the first half with a stinger. ... Reddick left with an ankle injury. ... Wirfs (oblique), WR Mike Evans (clavicle), RG Luke Haggard (shoulder) and CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring) were inactive.
Saints: Host Carolina next Sunday.
Buccaneers: Host Atlanta on Thursday night.
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