Godwin, Tucker, shine in runaway win over archnemesis Saints

It was familiar from the start.

These were two teams that despised each other. There are rivalries, then there is hatred. This is of the latter when you talk about these divisional foes. The Bucs raced out to a 17-0 lead in short order in the first quarter. Then it was the Saints’ turn, as they ran off 20 unanswered points to take the lead at the 8:37 mark of the second quarter. The two teams exchanged touchdowns to find the Saints in the lead 27-24 at the 2:47 mark of the second. The Bucs had seen enough, it was time to put this game in the bag early and not exchange points all the way to a loss in overtime.

The decisive second half puts it away.

If you thought the first half of this game reminded you of the Falcons loss, you were not alone. The Bucs erased all prospects of that happening again. They would stack up 4 more touchdowns and not allow the Saints another point in the contest. Closing out a dominant 51-27 beat down of the Saints in the Big Easy. I said pre-season that to win the division, again, they needed to sweep the Saints and split with the Falcons. So far, that goal is still intact. Chris Godwin continued to impress, showing he’s as good as he ever was, posting 11 receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. The slot is his happy place; he is again at home.

Tucker finally gets his chance to shine.

It was supposed to be Bucky’s break-out game. Rachaad White was out with injury; Bucky would be the RB1 in New Orleans. That, of course, also meant that Sean Tucker, a player I’ve been hollering about for two seasons to get playing time, became the RB2. Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker both received 14 carries to strut their stuff. It was Tucker’s time to shine finally, as he put up 136 yards and a touchdown, toting the rock for a 9.7-yard average. Irving posted 81 yards and a touchdown for a 5.8-yard average.

Tucker also had 3 receptions for another 56 yards and a touchdown, accounting for almost 200 yards of the team’s 594-game total. It was the most carries the former Syracuse star had been given in a regular season game since arriving in Tampa as an Undrafted Free Agent in 2023. Why, until this point, had he been denied any real regular season work-load, I cannot say. I can say that after 5 weeks of NFL action, he had only received two carries. If White had not gone down, he would have still been languishing on the bench, forever waiting for his shot. To me, this shows a problem with the way the coaching staff evaluates and implements talent. If I could see it, why couldn’t they? 

It should not have taken an injury to find out if this kid could play. I think it’s easy for talented young offensive players to fall into an abyss in Tampa. Young players don’t always explode when given a very limited number of regular season starts/touches. Sometimes, you just have to break down and give them a reasonable chance to show what they have got. Today, Sean Tucker finally got that reasonable chance, and shine is exactly what he did. It’s what he’s always done at every level he’s played. I’m not saying that Tucker is a better back than Bucky Irving (that remains to be seen). I am saying that both are better RB1 than Rachaad White. It’s time for White to become the true change of pace/3rd down back that he is, in my opinion. Go Bucs!!