The New Orleans Saints pulled off a stunner Sunday night, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 in Tampa.
“Our defense kicked ass,” Bobby Hebert said. “Our defensive line, it seems like they're in Tampa Bay's head.”
The Saints harassed and harried Bucs quarterback Tom Brady all game. Brady completed just 54.2% of his passes, his second-lowest mark of the season. He also turned the ball over twice, one fumble and one interception. And the Saints sacked him four times while notching another seven QB hits. Coming into the game, the Buccaneers were #1 in the NFL with only 17 sacks allowed.
It was an impressive overall defensive effort, but Hebert singled out a few defenders, including David Onyemata and Cam Jordan.
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“David Onyemata finally played like we saw in training camp,” Hebert said.
He had 6 tackles, 1 sack, and 3 QB hits. Jordan, after missing his first game in a Saints uniform last week because of COVID-19, was a force; he recorded 5 tackles, 3 QB hits, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. Jordan now has 100.5 career sacks, joining Rickey Jackson as the only players in franchise history with over 100 sacks.
“I thought our defense had to play great, and they did play great,” Hebert said. “If you had told me that Taysom Hill's not going to throw for 50%, Alvin Kamara was going to have 31 total yards...surely [the Bucs] are going to cover [the spread].”
While the Saints produced a dominant defensive effort, things were a bit different on the offensive side. After gaining 130 yards on their first three drives, the Saints gained just 82 yards over their next 10 possessions. 42 of those 82 yards came on their lone drive that got points in the second half. It was enough, however.
“We have Tampa Bay's number,” Hebert said. “Bruce Arians knows that, and I think Tom Brady knows that.
“It's not a rivalry until Tampa Bay wins a whole lot more,” Hebert went on. “We beat Tampa Bay more than any other team in the National Football League.”
The Saints have seven straight regular season wins over the Bucs, last losing in 2018. Overall, New Orleans is 4-1 against Tampa Bay with Tom Brady there, though that one loss, of course, happened in the playoffs last year.
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The Saints are now 7-7 and firmly in the playoff hunt with three games remaining. Hebert is feeling pretty good about the final stretch.
“I know if our defense plays great, we've got a chance. That's the way we're structured right now. We're not a fantasy [football], offensive team. 'Oh, I want offensive weapons on the Saints, fantasy football!' Hell no! How about we just win?”