Grading Buccaneers players and coaches after brutal Saints loss

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered Week 14 coming off a win and welcomed their NFC South rivals, the New Orleans Saints, to a wet and rainy Raymond James Stadium.

In a mucky game, the Bucs were hoping to put together back-to-back victories but fell flat against one of the worst teams in the league, allowing the Saints to pick up just their third win on the year, beating Tampa Bay 24-20.

Here is how we graded the performance of each position group and the coaches of the Bucs in their loss to the Saints.

QUARTERBACK: F

It couldn’t have been a worse day for Baker Mayfield. Things haven’t gone well for Mayfield as of late and his performance against the Saints was his worst outing since becoming a Buccaneer. Mayfield wasn’t helped out by his receivers, but still struggled throughout the day, completing less than 50% of his passes for 122 yards (4.1 avg) for one touchdown while also throwing a pick (there should have been more).

RUNNING BACKS: A+

The only bright spot for the Bucs on offense came from their rushing attack. Bucky Irving and Rachaad White each had over 50 rushing yards on the day and Sean Tucker was able to punch the ball into the end zone. The Bucs ran the ball a total of 39 times for 179 yards.

WIDE RECEIVERS: D+

Dec 7, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. (14) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers struggled on the outside with the rain coming and going throughout the day. Timely drops by Emeka Egbuka cost the Bucs a chance to tie the game late, and he wasn’t the only one who had problems securing the ball, as both Chris Godwin and Kameron Johnson suffered drops. Godwin was the leading receiver on the day with five catches for 55 yards.

TIGHT ENDS: C

The Bucs' tight ends were once again not involved in the game at all. Payne Durham didn’t have any targets and Cade Otton caught three of four for a measly 19 yards.

OFFENSIVE LINE: D

Oct 21, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Luke Goedeke (67) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Without Tristan Wirfs, it was understood that it would be a challenge for the Bucs’ offensive line, and it turned out to be a poor performance for the group as a whole. Much like last week, the Bucs' line was getting pushed around and continued to have penalties that must be corrected moving forward. With Wirfs likely returning soon from his oblique injury, the hope is that some cohesion can happen, even with the unknown surrounding Ben Bredeson’s knee injury that he suffered during the matchup.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B-

Dec 7, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) and defensive end Elijah Roberts (95) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The defensive line was once again a strong suit of the Bucs in Week 14. The defensive line was led by Vita Vea, who again came away with a sack, bringing his total to 4.5 on the year. Chris Braswell also got in on Tyler Shough for a sack. While things were pretty solid on the line, Haason Reddick exited the game with an ankle injury and the Saints were able to put up 139 yards rushing.

LINEBACKERS: F

Dec 7, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54). Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers' linebackers struggled against the Saints all day. The middle of the field was wide open for Tyler Shough to deliver the ball, the unit missed tackles throughout the day and Lavonte David got sucked in on a play where he lost contain. The linebackers earned this grade, and it will be up to them to turn things around.

SECONDARY: D

Tampa Bay’s secondary started the game off pretty well, with Zyon McCollum coming away with an interception on Tyler Shough, but fell apart as the game wore on. The middle of the field was consistently open and they allowed Shough to have an efficient game without having to do too much.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A-

Chase McLaughling — Nov 30, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers place kicker Chase McLaughlin (4) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Special teams were a bit of a worry after the Saints opened the game with a big kickoff return, but the coverage unit got things together to have a solid day. Chase McLaughlin was once again perfect on the day, nailing both his field goals and extra point attempts. Riley Dixon only punted once on the day, pinning the Saints inside the 20-yard line.

COACHES: D

It was a horrible performance out of the coaching staff today. Todd Bowles and Josh Grizzard did not look prepared and seemed to walk into this one thinking it would be an easy win. The offense lacked creativity and the defense continues to do the things that Bowles says will be fixed moving forward. The Bucs were just 3/13 on third down and 2/7 on fourth down — a day to forget if you’re a Bucs’ fan.

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