Tampa, FL (Sportsbooks) - Matt Bryant had three field goals, including the go-ahead kick with 1:55 remaining, as the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers held on to edge the
New Orleans Saints, 23-20, in a key NFC South bout.
Jeff Garcia completed just 9-of-23 passes for 119 yards and a score on a rainy afternoon but had no interceptions and ran for 42 yards for the Bucs (9-3), who have won four in a row. Tampa Bay kept pace with Carolina for first place in the division, as the Panthers beat Green Bay, 35-31, on a late touchdown.
The Bucs and Panthers now hold a three-game lead over New Orleans, with Atlanta one game back at 8-4. The Falcons beat San Diego, 22-16, later Sunday.
Warrick Dunn ran for 74 yards, while Carnell Williams had a rushing touchdown for Tampa Bay. Antonio Bryant caught three passes for 63 yards and a score.
"The win is more rewarding than anything," Antonio Bryant said. "I am just out there playmaking, trying to make the plays. That is the types of games we are finding ourselves in."
Drew Brees threw for 296 yards and two scores on 25-of-47 passing for the Saints (6-6) but was intercepted three times. Marques Colston caught six passes for 106 yards in the loss.
"There's no doubt we played a good defense," Colston said. "But it's not the first or the last we're going to play. We just need to play better in crunch time."
The Saints, who were coming off a 51-29 win over Green Bay last week, scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to draw even at 20-20.
But with 2:24 left in the game, Brees' pass was picked off by Jermaine Phillips at the Saints' 30-yard line. He returned the ball 13 yards, and the Bucs ran three plays before reaching the two-minute warning. Bryant's 37-yard kick curved left through the uprights to give Tampa Bay a three-point lead with 1:55 on the clock.
New Orleans still had plenty of time to score, but on the second play of the Saints' ensuing drive, a scrambling Brees was picked off by Phillip Buchanon, and the Bucs ran down the clock to seal the win.
The first half ended with New Orleans holding a 10-6 advantage, but the Bucs scored two times in the early stages of the third quarter to take the lead.
A 34-yard kickoff return by Clifton Smith set Tampa Bay up at the New Orleans 46 for the opening drive of the third.
A series of runs and short passes had the Bucs at the Saints 31 on 3rd-and-6, and Garcia's pass to B.J. Askew caromed off the fullback into the air. But Antonio Bryant was there to make the 12-yard catch. Garcia picked up 11 more yards on a run before Williams dashed eight yards up the right sideline into the corner of the end zone for a 13-10 Tampa lead.
It was Williams' first touchdown since September 23 of last season, as the following week he tore his patellar tendon. He only returned from recovery and rehab last week against Detroit.
After the Saints punted from their own 17, Tampa took over at the New Orleans 43 and needed just two plays to tack on another score. Dunn ran for four yards before Garcia aired out a pass for Antonio Bryant, who ran a stop-and-go route to get past the Saints secondary and was open to make the catch, which gave the Bucs a 10-point advantage with 8:36 remaining in the quarter.
New Orleans got deep into Tampa territory on its next drive, but Brees' end zone try for Jeremy Shockey was picked off by Cato June. Tampa Bay continued to hold the 20-10 lead going into the fourth quarter, but the Saints got back into the game in short order.
New Orleans' drive of 11 plays and 82 yards, which bridged the final two quarters, ended with a pass to Pierre Thomas. Brees threw to the right flat for Thomas, who sprinted 20 yards upfield into the end zone to bring the Saints within three points with 12:09 remaining.
The teams had a series of three-and-outs before New Orleans got the ball back with 7:16 left in the game. The Saints had great field position after punter Josh Bidwell's kick went just 18 yards and fell out of bounds at the Bucs 48.
Brees connected with Shockey on the first play for 21 yards, and after the drive stalled, Garrett Hartley punched a 43-yard kick through the uprights to tie the game at 20-20 with 5:34 on the clock.
Hartley's 47-yard field goal opened the scoring with a little more than five minutes left in the first quarter, but Matt Bryant tied the game with a 38- yarder only 10 seconds into the second stanza.
Bryant had a 23-yard kick with 2:34 left in the first half for a 6-3 Tampa lead, but New Orleans came back with a quick score to grab the lead.
Brees completed passes of 14 yards, to Shockey, and 37 yards to Colston, the latter of which advanced the ball to the Tampa 21. Reggie Bush ran for eight yards on second down before Brees found Lance Moore in the center of the end zone from 13 yards out with just 33 seconds left, giving the Saints a 10-6 lead at halftime.
Game Notes
The Saints won the first matchup of the season between the clubs, 24-20, in Week 1...Bush returned to the Saints lineup after missing the four previous games. He hadn't played since an October 19 loss to Carolina, in which he hurt his knee. Bush finished with five receptions for 32 yards...Thomas was the Saints' leading rusher with 34 yards on 11 carries.
