Spencer Rattler made his first-ever NFL start - Source: Getty
Not even the most excited fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints were ready for what was to come in their Week 6 matchup. These two teams exploded for an offensive show, with 51 points scored in the first half alone at Spencer Rattler's first-ever NFL start.
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The NFC South has provided excellent matchups for the league this year, with Falcons-Saints and Buccaneers-Falcons providing two of the best games of the season. However, with Derek Carr out, the expectation was a bit low for this matchup.
But then the second half arrived and the script flipped over again. The Saints scored 27 points in the second quarter and absolutely nothing at the rest of the game. After Baker Mayfield's turnover fest ended, the visitors dominated the rest of the game, putting a 50-burger away from home against a divisional rival.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints box score
With Derek Carr out for the game with an oblique injury, this was the first time that New Orleans fans would be able to see what they've got in Spencer Rattler. There were some encouraging signs, but as the game went on, it became clear that he still has a long way to go before getting ready.
Tampa Bay opened 17-0 in the first quarter, and although they were losing at halftime, they got the control of the game back as soon as they returned from the locker room. Offensively, they had more juice; defensively, they found a way to contain Rattler's quick-strike game.
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Baker Mayfield threw just six passes in the second half, but two of those were touchdowns. Chris Godwin also had a fantastic game, with two touchdowns, over 100 receiving yards and a long touchdown that changed the outcome of the game entirely.
The best team walked away with a win, and Tampa Bay proved once again that last year's run to the NFC Divisional Round wasn't a fluke. They are ready to compete with everyone.
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About the author
Henrique Bulio
Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.
Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.
If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.
Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.
Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.