On paper, Saints versus Buccaneers looks like one more NFC South grudge match. Inside the box scores, it behaves like a different animal. The individual lines are modest, the margins are razor thin, and the same handful of numbers keep deciding who walks off the field happy.
This guide breaks down the New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers match player stats from the two 2025 meetings, adds the all-time series context, and layers in the newest 2026 developments: Baker Mayfield’s thumb injury and return, Tyler Shough’s broken-hand toughness, and a Saints backfield that keeps changing shape. You will see which figures carry real weight, which ones are noise, and where the next two meetings could swing.
The 2025 Split That Exposes Both Teams
New Orleans and Tampa Bay met twice last season, and the two games could not have looked more different. In Week 8 the Buccaneers rolled to a 23–3 win inside the Caesars Superdome. In Week 14 the Saints answered with a 24–20 road upset at Raymond James Stadium.
The more telling outcome is the one from Week 14. Tampa Bay actually won the yardage battle, 301 net yards to 260, and held the ball for just over 32 minutes. It still lost, because the Saints turned a modest passing day into three rushing touchdowns and a 139-yard ground game on 32 carries.
That is the first of our seven numbers: 139, the rushing yards New Orleans produced in the Week 14 win that flipped the series. The passing game barely mattered. Shough finished 13 of 20 for 144 yards with one interception, yet he also ran seven times for 55 yards and two scores. When the Saints control the line of scrimmage, the Buccaneers’ pass-rush advantage fades, and Mayfield’s offense loses its rhythm.
Baker Mayfield vs the Saints Defense: Two Games, Two Different Stories
Mayfield’s 2025 season was respectable on the surface: 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Tampa Bay still finished 8–9 and missed the postseason, so the efficiency he showed against New Orleans deserves a closer look.
In Week 8 he was clean but quiet, completing 15 of 24 passes for 152 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and an 80.6 rating. The defense carried that day. Anthony Nelson posted a sack, a forced fumble and an interception return touchdown, Antoine Winfield Jr. collected two takeaways, and Jamel Dean knocked the ball loose from Rashid Shaheed.
Week 14 was the opposite. Mayfield was never sacked, but he completed under 47 percent of his throws and averaged only 4.1 yards per attempt.
| Baker Mayfield vs Saints (2025) | Week 8 | Week 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Completions / Attempts | 15/24 | 14/30 |
| Completion % | 62.5% | 46.7% |
| Passing Yards | 152 | 122 |
| Touchdowns | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Passer Rating | 80.6 | 55.1 |
| Yards per Attempt | 6.3 | 4.1 |
| Sacks Taken | — | 0 |
Number two is therefore 4.1, Mayfield’s yards per attempt in the Week 14 loss. A quarterback does not need to be sacked to be neutralized, and Egbuka’s dropped end-zone pass late in the fourth quarter sums up that afternoon.
Mayfield’s 2026 Status: What Changed
Mayfield began 2026 with a new contract and a rough start. He completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 615 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions across three games before a dislocated right thumb sidelined him for three weeks. He returned in Week 7 against Carolina and threw only 11 passes (7 completions, 64 yards, one touchdown) because the Buccaneers ran for 258 yards. The Bucs sit at 2–5, so New Orleans may see a quarterback still easing back into form.
Alvin Kamara’s Role in the Saints vs Buccaneers Rivalry
Kamara’s 2025 was his least productive year. He played just 11 games and ran for 471 yards on 131 carries (3.6 per attempt) with one rushing touchdown. In Week 8 against Tampa Bay he managed six carries for 21 yards, and in Week 14 rookie Devin Neal (19 carries, 70 yards, one touchdown) took over the bulk of the work.
Kamara remains the Saints’ all-time leader in rushing yards (7,250) and rushing touchdowns (61), and in 2026 he became only the sixth player in league history with 5,000 career rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. His usage has shifted: Kendre Miller has taken a larger share of early-down snaps, Travis Etienne Jr. is working back from a hamstring injury, and Kamara operates as a touchdown-dependent option who still catches passes in space.
That leads to number three: two rushing touchdowns for Kamara early in 2026, plus a receiving score against the Giants in Week 6. His yardage is no longer the headline. His red-zone value is, and in a rivalry decided by a single possession, a short-yardage score can outweigh a 100-yard day from anybody else.
Chris Olave in the New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Match Player Stats
Olave’s 2025 was a career year, though it came in his fourth season, not his third. He caught 100 passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns on 156 targets across 16 games, then missed the season finale with a blood clot in his lung.
Against Tampa Bay his production reflected the game flow. In Week 8 he caught eight of 12 targets for 63 yards while the Saints’ offense scored only three points. In Week 14 he finished with three catches for 30 yards on five targets, because the Saints leaned on Neal and Shough’s legs.
Number four is 100, the catches Olave collected in 2025, because it shows how much target volume he commands when the quarterback is healthy. Early in 2026 he again leads the team, with 537 receiving yards on 39 catches through the opening five games. The Saints also have rookie first-round receiver Jordyn Tyson working back from a hamstring injury, which could ease the double-coverage burden.
Tampa Bay’s corners, led by Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum, have the speed to stay with him on the outside. The question is whether Shough can protect the football and give Olave downfield chances.
The Buccaneers’ Skill Position Depth Is the Real Weapon
Tampa Bay’s offense has never depended on a single star. In 2025, injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin reduced the receiving room, and the offense survived through its backs and tight ends. Heading into 2026, the receiver group revolves around Emeka Egbuka, Godwin, Tez Johnson and third-round rookie Ted Hurst III, while Cade Otton remains the seam-stretching tight end.
The running game is the engine. In Week 14 Bucky Irving carried 15 times for 55 yards and added a 24-yard receiving touchdown, Sean Tucker punched in a one-yard score, and Mayfield himself ran six times for 42 yards. In the Week 8 win, Tucker rushed 12 times for 42 yards and a touchdown, while Johnson caught five passes for 43 yards.
| Buccaneers Skill Players vs Saints (2025) | Week 8 | Week 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | Minor role | 15 carries, 55 yds, 1 receiving TD |
| Sean Tucker | 12 carries, 42 yds, 1 TD | 1 rushing TD |
| Tez Johnson | 5 catches, 43 yds | Depth role |
| Baker Mayfield (rushing) | — | 6 carries, 42 yds |
The sixth figure is 258, which represents Tampa Bay’s rushing yards against Carolina in Week 7. It shows the identity Todd Bowles’ team falls back on when Mayfield is limited: control the ground, shorten the game, let play-action do the rest.
Defensive Player Stats That Fantasy Box Scores Miss
The most decisive player stats in the New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers match often belong to front-seven defenders, not quarterbacks.
Tampa Bay’s defense had a fine day in Week 14 on paper, yet the Saints still ran for 4.3 yards per carry and kept Mayfield on the sideline. They sacked Shough three times, yet the Saints’ running game and Shough’s scrambling still kept the offense on schedule. The lesson is simple: Tampa Bay’s front is built to hunt passers, and designed runs from a mobile quarterback stress it differently.
Tampa Bay also reloaded up front. First-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. (15th overall) and free-agent edge Al-Quadin Muhammad, who recorded 11 sacks for Detroit last season, give Bowles more rotational depth. That group sacked Carolina’s Bryce Young five times in Week 7.
New Orleans has a different problem. The Saints allow a touchdown on roughly 30 percent of opponent drives, which ranks 27th, and Chase Young leads the team with four sacks while Pete Werner leads in tackles. Offensively, Shough has been pressured on about 41 percent of his dropbacks over the past month and averages just 3.8 yards per attempt when hit.
That is number six: 40.9%, Shough’s recent pressure rate. Tampa Bay’s sack-hungry front will target it directly, and it explains why protection matters as much as the passing numbers themselves.
Head-to-Head History: The Numbers Behind the Rivalry
New Orleans holds a 41–27 edge in regular-season play, while Tampa Bay owns the only postseason meeting between the teams, which it won in 2020. Counting that game, the Saints lead the overall series 41–28.
Recent history leans toward Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers swept the Saints in 2022 and again in 2024, won once in 2023 and once in 2025, and have taken six of the last eight meetings. The biggest outliers: Tampa Bay won 51–27 in New Orleans in 2024, while the Saints once won 41–0 in 2012.
| Series Stat | New Orleans Saints | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
|---|---|---|
| All-Time Regular Season Wins | 41 | 27 |
| Postseason Wins | 0 | 1 |
| Meetings Since 2022 | 2 wins | 6 wins |
| Last 5 Meetings | 2 wins | 3 wins |
| 2025 Meetings | Week 14 win (24–20) | Week 8 win (23–3) |
| Most Points in a Game | 44 (1987) | 51 (2024) |
| Largest Win | 41–0 (2012) | 48–21 (2001) |
The seventh number is 6–2, Tampa Bay’s record in the last eight meetings. The rivalry has tilted toward the Buccaneers in recent seasons, yet the Saints’ Week 14 win proved that one rushing-driven afternoon can erase it.
Player vs Player Head-to-Head Comparison
Here is how the key players line up entering the next meeting, using 2025 production and the latest 2026 information.
| Matchup | Saints | Buccaneers | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Tyler Shough: 12 TD, 5 INT through six games; playing through a broken left hand | Baker Mayfield: 3,693 yds, 26 TD in 2025; back from a thumb injury | Even; health decides |
| Lead back | Kendre Miller / Alvin Kamara / Etienne Jr. (recovering) | Bucky Irving, Sean Tucker | Buccaneers (depth) |
| Top receiver | Chris Olave: 100 catches, 1,163 yds (2025) | Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin | Saints (volume) |
| Pass rush | Chase Young: 4 sacks | Rueben Bain Jr., Al-Quadin Muhammad | Buccaneers |
| Run defense | Allows heavy rushing totals | Strong against early-down runs | Buccaneers |
| Red-zone threat | Kamara, Shough rushing | Irving, Tucker | Slight Saints edge |
The Data Table That Summarizes the 2025 Player Matchups
| Player | Week 8 (TB 23–3) | Week 14 (NO 24–20) |
|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield (QB, TB) | 15/24, 152 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT | 14/30, 122 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Tyler Shough (QB, NO) | Did not start | 13/20, 144 yds, 1 INT; 7 rushes, 55 yds, 2 TD |
| Spencer Rattler (QB, NO) | 136 yds, 1 INT | Did not play |
| Alvin Kamara (RB, NO) | 6 carries, 21 yds | Reduced role |
| Devin Neal (RB, NO) | Minimal | 19 carries, 70 yds, 1 TD |
| Chris Olave (WR, NO) | 8 catches, 63 yds | 3 catches, 30 yds |
| Bucky Irving (RB, TB) | Minor role | 15 carries, 55 yds, 1 receiving TD |
| Sean Tucker (RB, TB) | 12 carries, 42 yds, 1 TD | 1 rushing TD |
Nobody posts a monster stat line in this matchup. In the 2025 meetings, neither quarterback had more than 152 passing yards, Olave had fewer than 65 yards, and no back had more than 100. The game is decided by efficiency, turnovers and red-zone execution, not volume.
What the Saints vs Buccaneers Player Stats Mean for the Rest of 2026
Both teams sit at 2–5, so the next two meetings (Week 15 at Raymond James Stadium and a Week 18 finale at the Superdome, subject to flex scheduling) matter for division position and draft order.
Latest Updates on Both Rosters
- Mayfield is back. Todd Bowles confirmed the quarterback practiced fully in Week 7, and he returned against Carolina after missing three games with a dislocated thumb. An undrafted rookie quarterback went 1–2 as the fill-in starter.
- Shough is playing hurt. Tyler Shough has reportedly been playing with two broken bones in his non-throwing hand. He threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth in the Week 6 win over the Giants, then the Saints lost 16–10 to Pittsburgh in Paris.
- Saints bye in Week 8. Etienne is not eligible to return from injured reserve until afterward, and Jordyn Tyson’s hamstring recovery may open the door for his debut.
- Coaching pressure. Bowles is widely described as being on the hot seat after the 0–4 start.
- New faces for Tampa Bay. Rueben Bain Jr. and Ted Hurst III headline the rookie class, while Egbuka now leads the receiver room.
Three Durable Truths
The data points to three patterns that should hold up regardless of the standings:
- Run-game balance beats passing volume. The Saints won Week 14 on 139 rushing yards, and the Buccaneers won Week 8 behind a ground attack and takeaways.
- Quarterback protection is the hidden variable. Shough’s pressure rate and Mayfield’s yards per attempt are better predictors than raw passing totals.
- Red-zone usage matters more than yardage. Kamara, Neal, Irving and Tucker each scored in the series without ever dominating the yardage column.
The Bottom Line
The Saints–Buccaneers rivalry rewards the team that wins efficiency on the important downs, not the player who piles up the biggest line. Seven numbers tell the story: 139 Saints rushing yards, Mayfield’s 4.1 yards per attempt, Kamara’s touchdown value, Olave’s 100-catch volume, Tampa Bay’s 258-yard ground day, Shough’s 40.9 percent pressure rate, and Tampa Bay’s 6–2 record in the last eight meetings.
If you only keep three, remember the rushing split, the quarterback protection battle and the red-zone usage. When these teams play, those three make the majority of the decisions.
