Most of the game was played in a driving deluge, otherwise known as 2 p.m. in Tampa, but it did change how the two teams played the game. Both quarterbacks threw an interception, and the difference in the game largely came in what each team did with the ensuing possession: the Bucs got a field goal off the Shough interception, while the Saints picked up a touchdown following the Baker Mayfield turnover.
“Our guys have a lot of adversity this year, and they’ve grown through this journey,” coach Kellen Moore said.
The weather also forced both teams to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. For the Saints, that meant leaning on Devin Neal. The rookie running back scored his first NFL touchdown on the Saints’ opening drive and ran the ball 19 times for 70 yards.
“Devin (Neal) was awesome, really cool to see him go out there and play the way he did,” bragged Moore. “Really lead that run game, the physicality he played with, the finish that he played with. Then even on the third downs – I thought the check down completion, he makes a play there and get a first down, that was huge in this game.”
Shough also used his legs at opportune times on Sunday. While he took a couple of avoidable sacks in his fifth start, he also broke out seven times for 55 yards.
Two of those times resulted in touchdowns; one on a 34-yard run and the other on a 13-yard run.
“Every single practice, every single week, I feel my confidence growing more and more,” said Shough of his growth as a rookie. “Just the ability to go out there [and] put points on the board in any way we can, so there’s a lot of plays that we can look at, and I can look at, and continue to continue to grow with, but we’re just really proud of everybody, especially against a defense like that in those conditions to kind of turn out a win.”