Bucs Let One Slip-Literally and Figuratively-in Costly Loss to Saints
With just under six minutes left in the game, the Bucs had a golden opportunity to tie things up. Baker Mayfield dropped back, saw Emeka Egbuka wide open in the end zone, and let it fly. The rookie receiver had separation, the ball was on target, and the moment was his.
And then it wasn’t.
The ball slipped through Egbuka’s hands, clanging to the turf like a missed opportunity that might come to define the Bucs' season. Instead of tying the game, Tampa Bay settled for a field goal-and ultimately a 24-20 loss to a Saints team that came into the matchup with just two wins.
If you’re looking for a snapshot of how the Bucs have let their grip on the NFC South unravel, this was it. A game that should’ve been a get-right moment turned into another frustrating chapter in a second-half slide that now has Tampa Bay sitting at 7-6, tied with Carolina in the division standings.
Egbuka’s drop was just one play, but it was symbolic of a larger issue. The first-round pick out of Ohio State was once the frontrunner for NFL Rookie of the Year when Tampa Bay jumped out to a 5-1 start.
But the sure hands he displayed early in the season have betrayed him of late. According to StatMuse, Egbuka came into Sunday leading the league in dropped passes with eight-and added two more to that total against New Orleans, along with an offensive pass-interference penalty that wiped out a crucial third-down conversion.
After the game, Egbuka didn’t shy away from accountability.
“It’s a huge honor to play for this team and be part of this brotherhood,” Egbuka said. “You know, I can’t help but feel I let them down (Sunday).
I’m on this team for one reason, and it’s to catch the ball. I didn’t.”
That honesty is admirable, but the challenge now is what comes next-for both the rookie and the team.
No Time to Dwell
The Bucs don’t have the luxury of licking their wounds. They’re back in action Thursday night against a struggling Falcons team, and as head coach Todd Bowles put it, the priority is making sure one loss doesn’t turn into two.
“There’s a myriad of things that could’ve happened that we lost this ballgame,” Bowles said. “It doesn’t matter if this (Saints) team was 12-0 or 0-12. You’ve got to show up and play and make plays, or the other team is going to beat you.”
That message is clear: it’s less about who you’re playing and more about how you’re playing. And right now, Tampa Bay isn’t playing winning football.
The Bucs have now gone 2-5 since that 5-1 start, and Sunday’s loss was a culmination of the same issues that have plagued them during this stretch-missed opportunities, untimely penalties, and an inability to execute in key moments.
Slippery Conditions, Slippery Execution
Yes, the rain was a factor. It poured for most of the game, making ball security and passing execution a challenge. But both teams had to deal with the same weather, and Bowles noted the Bucs had prepared with wet-ball drills in practice leading up to the game.
Early on, it looked like Tampa Bay might be able to overcome the elements. Mayfield started hot, completing his first eight passes for 84 yards.
But after that? He went just 6-of-22 for 38 yards the rest of the way.
“We just didn’t, as a skill group, make the plays in the pass game we needed to,” Mayfield said. “Both teams had to play in it.
I’ve thrown in rainy games, wet balls. I do it all the time.
We practice with a wet ball. It’s just a matter of putting more touch on the ball, letting guys run under it and go from there.”
The Bucs leaned on the run game, and to their credit, it was effective. They racked up 179 rushing yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
But short-yardage failures and special teams miscues gave the Saints favorable field position all afternoon. New Orleans started five drives near midfield, thanks in part to poor coverage on the opening kickoff and a few too many breakdowns on defense.
Defensive Holes and Missed Fits
The Bucs’ defense, which once prided itself on stopping the run, couldn’t contain Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who gashed them for 55 yards and two touchdowns on the ground-including scoring runs of 34 and 13 yards.
“We misfit two runs, and there were too long runs,” Bowles said. “Cannot do that. Can’t have it and be a consistently good run defense, and it’s happened too many times.”
Tampa Bay’s linebackers struggled to close the middle of the field, and injuries didn’t help matters. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs missed the game with an oblique injury, while left guard Ben Bredeson (knee) and outside linebacker Haason Reddick (ankle) exited with injuries of their own.
The Bucs also went just 2-for-7 on fourth down, further highlighting their inability to execute in high-leverage situations.
Moving Forward-Fast
There’s no sugarcoating it: this was a game the Bucs needed to win-and should’ve won. But now, they’re left with the reality of a missed opportunity and a short turnaround to fix it.
For Egbuka, the path forward is clear: keep working, keep grinding, and trust that the next opportunity will come.
“‘Mek’s a professional,” Mayfield said. “He’s always going to beat himself up.
Afterwards, I went up to him and told him, ‘The ball is going to find you again in this two-minute drive when we get it back. We’re going to need you.’
It’s just the nature of the game.”
This season is far from over. At 7-6, the Bucs are still very much alive in the playoff race, but the margin for error is shrinking by the week. Thursday night against Atlanta isn’t just another game-it’s a must-win moment for a team trying to rediscover the identity that made them a contender just a few weeks ago.
The question now is whether they can regroup-and whether their young receiver can turn a painful drop into a bounce-back moment.