Saints vs. Buccaneers final score, results: Tom Brady leads Tampa Bay to wild comeback win over New Orleans

Sam Jarden

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Saints vs. Buccaneers final score, results: Tom Brady leads Tampa Bay to wild comeback win over New Orleans image

For 55 minutes of game play, the Buccaneers looked out of sorts and devoid of ideas. Then, Tom Brady remembered he is Tom Brady.

A wild fourth-quarter rally lifted Tampa Bay to a 17-16 victory over the Saints on "Monday Night Football." The Bucs trailed 16-3 with just over three minutes remaining before touchdowns on each of their final two possessions gave them a last-second win. 

BUCS 17, SAINTS 16

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Brady struggled until those final minutes, but he eventually led the 70th game-winning drive of his legendary career. His touchdown pass to Rachaad White with three seconds left on the clock completed it.

The Saints had plenty of chances to put the game to bed, but close calls and questionable decisions caused a win to slip through their fingers. Coach Dennis Allen's decision to throw on third-and-1 with five minutes remaining brought scrutiny by fans and the media. 

The win was crucial for Tampa Bay (6-6) in the NFC South race. The Bucs now lead the Falcons (5-8) by 1.5 games in the division. The loss was a huge blow to the Saints' playoff hopes, with New Orleans slipping to 4-9. 

The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Saints vs. Buccaneers. Here are all the key moments you might have missed from the "Monday Night Football" matchup in Tampa. 

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Saints vs. Buccaneers score

  1  2 3 4 F 
Saints 0 10 3 3 16
Buccaneers 3 0 0 14 17

Saints vs. Buccaneers live updates, highlights from 'Monday Night Football'

(All times Eastern.)

11:21 p.m. — In his postgame interview, Brady mentions that it's his daughter's birthday today. That comeback win was a nice little present. 

11:13 p.m. — The Saints' desperation lateral play doesn't work, and this game is over. An incredible comeback win for Brady and the Buccaneers. 

Final: Buccaneers 17, Saints 16

11:09 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — BRADY HAS DONE IT AGAIN. He tosses it short right to White, who is able to fight his way into the end zone! Succop knocks through the extra point to take the lead! Looks like it'll be another game-winning drive for the GOAT!

11:07 p.m. — The Bucs briefly thought they had tied it up, but a devastating holding penalty on Donovan Smith wipes out a touchdown pass to Godwin. That makes the task a lot harder for Brady. He now has 4 plays and 16 seconds to score a touchdown. 

11:05 p.m. — WHAT A CATCH. Julio Jones makes a spectacular grab along the left sideline to set Tampa up with a 1st and goal. There are now 19 seconds left and the Bucs have it on the 5-yard line. 

11:04 p.m. — Fournette rips off a 10 yard run, then Brady finds Otton for a short gain. Otton stays in bounds, so the clock keeps ticking under a minute. 

11:02 p.m. TWO-MINUTE WARNING — Brady starts the drive with completions to Jones and Godwin to move the ball to midfield. That'll take us to the two-minute warning. 

10:57 p.m. — Dalton gets buried on 2nd down for a huge sack! That is a massive play by the Tampa defense. Hill nearly made a wild catch on 3rd and 17 for a first down, but the ball was knocked loose at the last second. With 2 and a half minutes left in this game, Tom Brady gets the ball back. 

Saints 16, Buccaneers 10

10:54 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Finally, the Bucs find the end zone! Brady tosses it to Otton, who makes the grab for the second touchdown of his NFL career! Succop tacks on the extra point to make it a 6 point game. 

10:52 p.m. — Well, that'll help. Brady aired it out to the end zone for Evans, who had a step on Paulson Adebo. Adebo was forced to take a pass interference penalty to avoid a sure touchdown, and the ball will now be placed at the New Orleans 1-yard line. 

10:49 p.m. — The Bucs' offense is now finally doing some damage, taking advantage of some soft coverage. But with the clock winding under 4 minutes now this will be a very difficult task. 

10:45 p.m. — The Saints get it back, and Ingram re-enters the game with a 7 yard catch and run. However, he still doesn't look quite right and he had to take a knee on the sideline after the play. He also ducked out of bounds a yard shy of the marker, which comes back to bite New Orleans after a pass on 3rd and inches falls incomplete. That wasn't the game-sealing drive the Saints were hoping for, and they'll now punt it back to Brady and Co. 

10:39 p.m. — Brady gets sacked on 1st down by Shy Tuttle, and an incompletion on 2nd down brings up 3rd and 17. Brady tosses a shovel pass forward to White, but he can only manage about 7 yards. Inexplicably, with only 7 minutes left on the clock, the Bucs are going to punt this away. That is really a strange decision. There's no sense of urgency whatsoever from Tampa at the moment. 

10:36 p.m. — It's now or never for Brady and this Tampa offense. They desperately need to get something going to stay alive in this game. 

Saints 16, Buccaneers 3

10:35 p.m. FIELD GOAL — Dalton's pass on 3rd down gets tipped and falls incomplete. Lutz trots out once again and connects on a 29 yard field goal to push the lead up to 13.  

10:31 p.m. — The Saints keep marching all the way into the red zone. Ingram catches a short pass and picks up a few yards to set up 3rd and 2, but he was injured at the end of the play. It looks relatively serious. 

10:28 p.m. — Wow, big penalty on the Bucs. Dalton's deep ball for Olave fell incomplete on 3rd and 5, but a flag comes in for defensive pass interference on Carlton Davis. That's a big call and a big help to the Saints. 

10:25 p.m. — They face a quick 3rd and 3, but Dalton slings one down the right sideline to Olave, who makes the grab and runs out of bounds for a gain of 26! Big play to keep the momentum firmly with New Orleans. 

10:23 p.m. — And the decision is a punt. The Saints will get it back on their own 20 after a touchback. 

End of third quarter: Saints 13, Buccaneers 3

10:19 p.m. — Facing 3rd and 10, Brady throws it way short of the sticks to Otton. It's now 4th and 7 as the third quarter comes to a close. Big decision looming for Todd Bowles and Byron Leftwich. 

10:17 p.m. — Brady converts on 3rd and 4 with a 10 yard pass to rookie tight end Cade Otton. The Bucs have moved the ball across midfield. 

Saints 13, Buccaneers 3

10:13 p.m. FIELD GOAL — Lutz hits the chip shot to extend the lead to 10 points. Still, that was an important stand by Tampa's defense. 

10:11 p.m. — On a crucial 3rd and 2 from inside the 5-yard line, the Saints get called for an untimely 12 men in the huddle penalty. That's a very sloppy blunder. Hill makes a grab on the ensuing play, but he's a few yards short of the marker and the end zone. This will be another field goal attempt.

10:10 p.m. — Lavonte David just had to leave the field injured for Tampa after making a tackle on Kamara. It didn't look too serious, but he's on the sideline for now. It would be a big loss for the Bucs' defense.

10:06 p.m. — The Saints begin moving methodically down the field, and Olave makes a grab to pick up 22 yards and move the ball to the cusp of the red zone. 

9:59 p.m. FUMBLE — A holding penalty backs up the Buccaneers, and on 3rd and a mile they check down to White. He has the ball knocked out of his hands from behind by Cam Jordan, and Carl Granderson pounces on it to recover for New Orleans! It would probably have been a punt anyways, but this certainly gives the Saints better field position. 

9:57 p.m. — Evans makes a nice grab, his second of the night, for a gain of 22. Don't be surprised if Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich try to get him involved in this second half. 

9:52 p.m. — Like the first half, the Saints start the second with a three-and-out. Mark Ingram got dragged down for a loss of a yard on 3rd and 7 to force a quick punt. 

9:50 p.m. START OF SECOND HALF — The Saints receive the kickoff and will try to extend their lead. 

9:40 p.m. — Biggest takeaway of the first half? Brady looked bad. Not a little off his game, he looked legitimately bad at times. Dalton is outplaying him so far tonight. 

End of first half: Saints 10, Buccaneers 3

9:37 p.m. — The Buccaneers will just kneel this out and head into the locker room to lick their wounds. They get booed off the field after a really poor first half showing. 

Saints 10, Buccaneers 3

9:33 p.m. FIELD GOAL — Lutz knocks it through from 38 yards out to make it a 7-point game. 

9:32 p.m. — Passes to Olave and Shaheed move the Saints to the Tampa 25-yard line, but a pass of the hands of Jarvis Landry on 3rd and 2 brings up 4th down. Will Lutz will come on to attempt a field goal.

9:29 p.m. INTERCEPTION — Brady is picked off by Demario Davis! Brady apparently just didn't see Davis lurking underneath the route, and he paid the price. That's a tough momentum swing for Tampa right before halftime.

9:25 p.m. — Mike Evans finally gets his first catch of the night, and it's a big one! He makes a grab down the right sideline for a gain of 14 and a first down. 

9:21 p.m. TWO-MINUTE WARNING — The Bucs finally get a good play on offense after White catches and runs for 12 yards to move the chains on 3rd down. They could use a few more plays like that. After White gets it again for a short run, we've hit the two-minute warning. 

9:15 p.m. — But they can't take advantage. Dalton put a pass on the money for Chris Olave on 3rd and 9, but the rookie flat out dropped it. New Orleans can only manage another three-and-out. 

9:13 p.m. — Shaheed came dangerously close to taking that return all the way to the house. He was forced out of bounds by Camarda at the Tampa Bay 40 to give the Saints' offense fantastic field position.

9:10 p.m. — New Orleans' rookie corner Alontae Taylor makes two consecutive nice plays. First, he drags down Fournette in the backfield, then he breaks up a pass intended for Godwin. That brings up 4th and 13 for Tampa and it'll be another punt. 

Saints 7, Buccaneers 3

9:03 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — Taysom Hill lines up as a receiver, and finds himself WIDE open for his second touchdown catch of the season! Great job by Dalton to make that throw with a defender coming right at him!

9:01 p.m. — This Saints offense is starting to find some rhythm. Dalton tosses right to a wide open Trautman for a gain of 20 and another first down. They have it at about the Buccaneers' 30-yard line. 

9:00 p.m. — On 3rd and 5, Dalton zips a pass over the middle to Shaheed, who catches and runs for a nice gain of 19 yards. He's looked very explosive so far in this game. 

8:54 p.m. — On yet another 3rd down situation, Brady just slightly overthrows an open Julio Jones streaking towards the end zone. That could easily have been a touchdown, and to be honest we usually see Brady make that throw. He was visibly frustrated after it fell incomplete. Jake Camarda comes on for his second punt of the evening. 

8:51 p.m. — A Brady pass goes incomplete on 3rd down, but a defensive holding call on Paulson Adebo bails out the Bucs and gives them a free first down.

8:48 p.m. — After the big play, a holding penalty backs up the Saints. A few plays later, it's 3rd and 8, and Dalton's pass goes off the hands of Adam Trautman. A promising drive ends with another punt for New Orleans. 

End of first quarter: Buccaneers 3, Saints 0

8:44 p.m. — Big play! On 2nd and 10, Dalton goes deep down the left sideline to Rashid Shaheed, who hauls it in for a gain of 40 yards!

8:39 p.m. — Fournette picks up a quick first down, but the drive stalls out after that. Rachaad White can't hang on to Brady's pass on 3rd and 4 and the Bucs will have to punt it right back. 

8:33 p.m. — Andy Dalton and the Saints' offense takes the field for the first time tonight. Alvin Kamara runs for a couple of short gains to set up 3rd and 5, then Dalton is swarmed and sacked for a big loss by Lavonte David! That's a three-and-out to open the night for New Orleans. 

Buccaneers 3, Saints 0

8:28 p.m. FIELD GOAL — Ryan Succop makes the chip shot to give Tampa an early lead. 

8:26 p.m. — Fournette gets nothing on 1st down, then a short completion to Godwin sets up 3nd and goal. Fournette catches a short pass to the right, but he's tripped up short of the goal line. The Saints come up with a big goal line stand! The Bucs have to settle for a field goal attempt. 

8:24 p.m. — Fournette takes a handoff up the middle for a gain of 7 to set up 1st and goal.

8:21 p.m. — Brady has to throw a designed screen pass into the dirt on 2nd down to bring up 3rd and 4. He drops back and goes short over the middle to Leonard Fournette, who powers forward for another first down. This is a very solid opening drive for the Bucs and they've now moved into the red zone. 

8:19 p.m. — Facing 3rd and 2, Brady goes right back to Godwin  on an almost identical route to bring up another fresh set of downs. 

8:17 p.m. — On 2nd down, Brady's first pass of the night is complete to a wide open Chris Godwin near the right sideline for a first down. 

8:16 p.m. — New Orleans kicks it away, and Brady takes the field for the first offensive possession of the night. 

8:10 p.m. — Kickoff on "Monday Night Football" is just a few minutes away. Let's see who comes out on top in this NFC South showdown. 

8:01 p.m. — Tom Brady and Aaron Judge exchange pleasantries as TB12 heads back to the locker room. Judge has on a Mike Evans jersey and looks like he'll be rooting for the Bucs tonight.

7:31 p.m. — The Saints are wearing a set of custom primetime uniforms tonight complete with special black helmets. Pretty clean.

7:21 p.m. — Here are some of the custom cleats the Bucs are rocking as a part of "My Cause, My Cleats."

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Date: Monday, Dec. 5
  • Time: 8:15 p.m. ET

Saints vs. Buccaneers will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The weather forecast calls for clear skies with temperatures in the high 60s Fahrenheit. 

What channel is Saints vs. Buccaneers on today?

The game will be broadcast nationally in the United States on ESPN. Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color analyst) and Lisa Salters (sidleine reporter) will be on the call from the Sunshine State.

Week 13 marks the return of "Monday Football with Peyton and Eli," the alternate broadcast on ESPN2 hosted by Peyton and Eli Manning. 

Fans in Canada can watch the game on TSN1 or RDS. They can view the "Manningcast" on TSN3.

A live stream will be available to those watching from the U.S. on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. Viewers in Canada can tune in with DAZN, which features every NFL game. 

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.