Saints vs. Buccaneers score: Trevor Siemian replaces injured Jameis Winston, helps New Orleans upset Bucs

Winston exited with an injured knee but the Saints held off the Bucs without him

The New Orleans Saints had to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without their starting quarterback and their backup quarterback. They did. 

Trevor Siemian filled in admirably for Jameis Winston, who left the game in the first half with a knee injury, as the Saints pulled off a dramatic 36-27 victory over the Buccaneers to move within a half game of the NFC South lead. Siemian led the Saints on a winning 12-play, 65-yard drive in the final minutes -- leading to a Brian Johnson 23-yard field goal to put New Orleans up 29-27 with 1:41 left.

Tom Brady, who threw for 375 yards and four touchdowns, had plenty of time to drive the Buccaneers down the field and kick a walk-off field goal. The Saints' defense thwarted those plans as PJ Williams picked off Brady's pass on the second play of the drive and returned the ball 40 yards for the touchdown with 1:24 left to seal the victory. The Saints' defense forced three Tampa Bay turnovers, despite the Buccaneers averaging 7.3 yards per play and totaling 421 yards of offense. 

Siemian had thrown just six passes since the start of the 2018 season heading into the game as he was the only active quarterback on the roster behind Winston. Taysom Hill was out with a concussion and Ian Book was inactive. He completed 16 of 29 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown -- with no turnovers -- to lead New Orleans to the win. 

New Orleans had Kevin White haul in a 38-yard catch in the third quarter, which led the team in receiving yards. White was called up form the practice squad Saturday. Garrett Griffin, who hasn't caught a pass since 2017, had three catches for 30 yards to tie for the team lead in catches. This group beat the defending Super Bowl champions. 

Why the Saints won

An inspiring performance by Sean Payton, Dennis Allen, and the New Orleans coaching staff -- finding a way to defeat the defending Super Bowl champions with a third-string quarterback and a bunch of players fans needed to double check the roster to see if they were on it. Allen's defense was outstanding, forcing three turnovers against a Buccaneers team that turned the ball over just three times over the previous six games. 

Tom Brady was uncomfortable in the pocket throughout the afternoon, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in the game. The Saints got pressure on Brady, even with only four quarterback hits. The turnovers were the reason why New Orleans was able to build a lead with Trevor Siemian at quarterback -- and win the game. 

Why the Buccaneers lost

Tampa Bay was able to overcome a 23-7 second half deficit to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but the three turnovers by Brady doomed the Buccaneers. New Orleans scored 17 points off turnovers in this one, the difference in a game the Buccaneers lost by nine points. Tampa Bay had 11 penalties for 99 yards, a few roughing the passer calls that extended drives and help New Orleans score even more points. Fair calls or not, the Buccaneers have to avoid those situations. The Buccaneers also ran the ball just 14 times, needing a more balanced attack going forward. 

Turning point

Brady's first interception of the afternoon helped the Saints get a commanding lead just before the half. New Orleans was up 10-7 late in the first half when Brady was pressured and threw an interception to C.J. Gardner-Johnson coming out of the two-minute warning. 

The turnover gave New Orleans the ball at the Tampa Bay 35-yard line. The Saints took just five plays to score, capped by a Siemian 1-yard touchdown pass to Alex Armah with 30 seconds left in the half to take a 16-7 lead -- a commanding and surprising result considering New Orleans had Siemian at quarterback. 

Brady's turnover gave New Orleans a commanding halftime lead, one which they took into the third quarter and helped set the tone for the win. 

Play of the game

The pick-six by P.J. Williams sealed the victory for the Saints, just when it appeared Brady had more than enough time to lead the Buccaneers down the field for a walk-off field goal. 

On second-and-10 from the Buccaneers' 25-yard line with 1:36 left, Brady had more than enough time to make a play -- but P.J. Johnson stepped in front of the pass intended for Chris Godwin and returned it back for the touchdown. The Saints were up 29-27 when Johnson forced Brady's third turnover of the day, capping off a strong defensive performance by New Orleans.  

Brady has thrown 17 interceptions in the regular season since joining the Buccaneers -- seven against the Saints. None was bigger than that interception by Johnson. 

The quote 

"This win was for him. I just feel for the guy so much. Just being around him, he just got this infectious personality. You're just freakin' gutted when you see anyone hurt but watching him be hurt was tough." -- Siemian on Winston.

Winston suffered a "significant" knee injury, as Sean Payton mentioned after the game. How long Winston will be out will be determined, but the way Payton sounded in his postgame presser -- combined with Siemien's quote -- doesn't bode well for the starting quarterback returning in 2021.

Up next

The Saints (5-2) are a half game behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South and will play host to the Falcons (3-4) next Sunday. Tampa bay (6-2) has a bye week before traveling to Washington. 

[Oct 31, 2021 at 7:38 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

The Saints beat the defending Super Bowl champions: 

 - With a 3rd-string QB 

- A leading receiver called up from the practice squad this weekend 

 - A TE that didn't have a catch since 2017 (had 3 today)

[Oct 31, 2021 at 7:35 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

It's insane how this game turned. The Saints are in  business in the NFC South with this win. 

Bucs have 3 turnovers and the Saints defense had 3 sacks. Great performance by the Saints defense, but they also didn't commit a turnover and had just 2 penalties.

Saints go to 5-2 and Bucs fall to 6-2. Just a half game out in NFC South.