Sep 16, 2007, 20:23 GMT
Tampa, FL - Jeff Garcia threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the New Orleans Saints, 31-14, in a divisional matchup at Raymond James Stadium.
Garcia completed 10-of-16 passes and Joey Galloway had four receptions for 135 yards with two touchdowns for the Buccaneers (1-1), who looked like a completely different team following their season-opening 20-6 setback at Seattle.
'It's really not me,' said Galloway. 'They gave us some opportunities and Jeff made the plays today. He made great throws and when we see certain looks offensively we always say, 'take what they give us', and they gave us the chance to get on their safeties a few times.'
Cadillac Williams, who was questionable for the game with bruised ribs, rushed for 61 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 24 carries for Tampa Bay. On the other side of the ball linebacker Barrett Ruud also had another huge game, with 11 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Drew Brees had 260 yards passing, completing 26-of-44 attempts with one touchdown and one interception for New Orleans (0-2), which has had a nightmare start to its 2007 season. The club also endured a humbling 41-10 setback against Indianapolis in Week 1.
Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister each had 10 carries and combined for just 76 yards, while Mike Karney rushed three times for 13 yards and a TD. Marques Colston led the receiving corps with eight catches for 70 yards and a score.
Already trailing by 21 at the half, the Saints seemed to abandon their running game to begin the third quarter. The move proved costly, however, as Brees was intercepted by Tampa linebacker Cato June. The Bucs then needed just five plays to get back to the end zone, as Galloway hauled in a 49-yard pass and Williams later capped the march with another one-yard TD run with 4:32 to play in the period.
New Orleans finally showed some life on the ensuing possession, using a 58- yard pass from Brees to David Patten to set up an eventual one-yard dive by Karney over right guard with 55 seconds remaining in the third. The score was New Orleans' first offensive touchdown of the season and made it 28-7 heading to the fourth quarter.
A couple of dropped passes plagued the Saints on their next drive, and after turning the ball over on downs, allowed Tampa back in the red zone. A 27-yard field goal by Matt Bryant was the final nail in the coffin, giving the Bucs an insurmountable 31-7 advantage with 7:35 left in the contest.
New Orleans added a touchdown on a four-yard pass from Brees to Colston with just under three minutes to play, but never got the ball back as the Bucs ran out the clock.
'It's definitely a big win for us, because we had really been struggling,' said Tampa cornerback Phillip Buchanon. 'Right now this win is going to count for us and hopefully help us with the rest of the season.'
The Saints looked sloppy in the opening minutes, catching a break on a first- series fumble that was ruled down by contact. On the next possession, though, McAllister lost the ball and the Bucs recovered, successfully challenging the same ruling that negated the earlier turnover.
Tampa took over at its own 43 and was quickly on the move as Garcia connected with Alex Smith for a 33-yard gain. The drive nearly stalled on 3rd-and-6, but Garcia scrambled seven yards to move the chains. Two plays later Williams scored untouched from a yard out, giving the Bucs a 7-0 lead.
Bush was stripped of the ball by Ruud on the Saints' first play from scrimmage after the kickoff, but was able to recover his own fumble. New Orleans' offense finally managed its lone first down of the stanza, but was eventually forced to punt.
The Bucs extended their lead just 1:37 into the second quarter, converting on a key 3rd-and 11 when Garcia fired a short pass over the middle to Galloway, who picked up a key block from Michael Pittman and galloped 69 yards for the touchdown.
New Orleans finally put together a solid drive a little more than midway through the stanza, but was forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal attempt from Olindo Mare that hooked wide left and kept the Saints off the board.
A 41-yard pass from Garcia to wide receiver Ike Hilliard left Tampa in the driver's seat to close out the half, as Garcia hit Galloway for a 24-yard TD completion with 1:12 remaining to make it 21-0.
Game Notes
Galloway now has seven consecutive games versus New Orleans with a touchdown catch, including nine TDs in the past six meetings...Williams' first-quarter score was his first TD in 209 rush attempts...When Williams has more than 20 carries, Tampa Bay is 10-0...The Bucs avenged a home-and-home sweep against the Saints last season, but New Orleans still leads the all-time series, 19-12...Ruud led all players last week with 13 tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery...Brees fell to 3-1 lifetime against Tampa Bay...The temperature at game time was a steamy 98 degrees, but with humidity felt like 102.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
Your Talkback on this Story