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TAMPA, Fla. (WAFB) - The New Orleans Saints (4-9) defense was dominant for much of the game against NFC South rival Tampa Bay (6-6) on Monday Night Football on December, 5 from Raymond James Stadium. Tom Brady and the Bucs overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 17-16 win over the Saints.

Since 2020, Tom Brady has a 2-4 record against the New Orleans Saints in the regular season. Brady’s two wins came during the 2022 regular season. The Bucs did defeat the Saints 30-20 in the 2020 playoffs.

The Saints’ defense forced two turnovers and sacked Brady once while allowing 350 yards of total offense. The Saints also held the Bucs to just 8-for-15 on third-down conversions. In the last two games against the Buccaneers on the road, the Saints have allowed 17 points.

On the other side of the ball, the Saints have struggled to score against the Bucs’ defense on the road having scored just one touchdown.

The Buccaneers got the night started off with a good 16-play 72-yard drive that would result in six points, but the Saints’ defense rose to the occasion and forced a key third down stop tackling former LSU star Leonard Fournette short of the end zone that would lead to a 21-yard field goal from Ryan Succop to make it 3-0.

Both teams would exchange a couple of punts and then a little over halfway through the second quarter the Saints would take their first lead of the game as Andy Dalton connected with Taysom Hill for the 30-yard touchdown to make it 7-3. The Saints’ defense would continue their great play in the first half as they forced the Bucs to punt and then Rashid Shaheed put New Orleans in great field position after a 42-yard return but the Bucs would force a Saints punt.

However, the New Orleans defense would again make a huge play as Demario Davis picked off Tom Brady and ended another drive for the Bucs.

Dalton and the Saints would look to add points before the half and Dalton looked to have former LSU star Jarvis Landry for a touchdown, but Landry was unable to come down with the catch, and the Saints’ would have to settle for a 38-yard field goal from Wil Lutz to extend their lead to 10-3.

The Saints’ defense continued to make plays in the second half as they forced another turnover, this time on the first drive of the third quarter for the Bucs as Cam Jordan forced a fumble and the Saints recovered it, but they were unable to come away with six and settled for another Lutz field goal, this time from 21-yards out, to extend their lead to 13-3.

Once again with the Saints’ offense in the red zone, they were unable to come away with six points and settled for another Lutz field goal, extending their lead to 16-3 with eight minutes left to play in the fourth quarter.

With three minutes remaining in the game, Brady and the offense would find the end zone for the first time as Brady found Cade Otton from a yard out to make it 16-10.

The Saints would look to burn some clock on their next drive and put the game away, but the Bucs forced a much-needed three-and-out, including a big sack from Carl Nassib.

With less than 10 seconds left to play and the Bucs inside the ten-yard line and facing a third down Brady would connect with rookie Rachaad White for the six-yard touchdown to win the game 17-16.

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