Mayfield passes for 4 TDs as the Bucs treat storm-weary fans to a 51-27 win over the Saints

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — To Baker Mayfield, the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weathered a wild second quarter in which they lost a 17-point lead was symbolic of their mindset ever since they traveled to New Orleans on Tuesday to escape the path of Hurricane Milton.

Mayfield overcame three turnovers with 325 yards and four touchdowns passing, and the Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints 51-27 on Sunday in what they hoped would be a morale boost to their many fans who endured Milton’s widespread damage earlier in the week.

“The last few weeks have been tough for the Tampa area and all of South Florida," Mayfield said. "Today was a team embracing everything that everybody was going through, ups and downs and handling it the best way you can, fighting through it and trying to make it work.

“That’s life,” Mayfield added. "Obviously a natural disaster is not easy to deal with, but you find a way to overcome.”

For the Saints, the result blemished rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler's first NFL start, and extended New Orleans' losing streak to four after it opened the season with two lopsided victories.

But with first-string quarterback Derek Carr's timeline to return from an oblique injury uncertain, Saints coach Dennis Allen said his intention was to start Rattler again Thursday night, when the Saints try to end their skid against Denver.

“There were some encouraging things, some things that he’s going to learn from,” Allen said, noting that New Orleans' difficulty running the ball and defensive lapses in the second half made Rattler's job harder as the game wore on. “I don’t think we did enough around him to help him.”

Trailing 27-24 at halftime, the Bucs (4-2) pulled ahead for good on Chris Godwin's second touchdown of the game — a 55-yarder on a short catch and long run during which three Saints missed tackle attempts.

“Our tackling was atrocious," Allen said. “When you don’t tackle, you give up explosive plays ... and it just kind of snowballed on us.”

Safety Zyon McCollum's diving interception of Rattler's underthrown pass initiated a fourth-quarter drive that ended with Mayfield's 8-yard scoring pass to tight end Cade Otton on third-and-goal as Tampa Bay continued to pull away.

The Buccaneers racked up all kinds of gaudy stats and highlights in the Superdome, which was mostly empty before the game ended. Just a smattering of happy fans in Bucs colors remained when Sean Tucker scored for the second time for the final margin.

The Bucs “were playing with heavy hearts, just seeing what was happening in Tampa Bay,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said, confirming that the team planned to return to its normal headquarters in Tampa after the game.

“Our hearts pour out to the city. It’s a tough city,” Bowles said. "We don’t know what we’re going back to, but in our small part, we wanted to win one for the city. We are going to try to help any way we can when we get back, so after going through a week like this and coming out on top, it made the guys feel special.”

The Bucs rushed for 277 yards as a team, led by Tucker's 136 yards and one TD rushing. Bucky Irving added 81 yards and short touchdown. Tucker also turned a short catch into a 36-yard touchdown.

Tampa Bay became just the fifth team in NFL history to have at least 300 yards passing and 275 yards rushing in a game. The Bucs' 594 total offensive yards were the second-most ever yielded by the Saints.

Rattler, who was intercepted twice, finished 22 of 40 for 243 yards and a TD pass to fellow rookie Bub Means. Alvin Kamara scored his seventh TD this season on a 4-yard run and Rashid Shaheed returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown.

Mayfield capped the game's opening possession with a 4-yard TD pass to Godwin.

Rattler's first series ended when receiver Chris Olave was stripped by Tykee Smith moments after making a catch. Olave also absorbed an unflagged helmet-to-helmet hit from McCollum, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. scooped up the loose ball and returned it 58 yards to make it 14-0.

Chase McLaughlin's 26-yard field goal made it 17-0 late in the first quarter before the Saints scored 20 straight points in 5:06 with the help of interceptions in Bucs territory by Saints defensive backs Paulson Adebo and Johnathan Abram, which set up a field goal and Rattler's 10-yard scoring toss to Means.

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan's interception of Mayfield's batted pass preserved the Saints' lead through halftime, but that turned out to be a brief respite for reeling New Orleans.

Buccaneers: Cornerback Jamel Dean left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury.

Saints: Olave's injury further depleted an offense already missing Carr, tight end Taysom Hill (ribs), center Erik McCoy (groin), Cesar Ruiz (knee), guard Lucas Patrick (chest). ... Starting safety Tyrann Mathieu left the game with a forearm injury in the first half.

Buccaneers: Host Baltimore in a Monday night game on Oct. 21.

Saints: Thursday night's home game features the Broncos' Sean Payton coaching his first game in the Superdome since his brief retirement from the Saints after the 2021 season.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin runs toward the end zone to score against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) intercepts a pass intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) runs in front of New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) catches a touchdown pass against New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

New Orleans Saints' Rashid Shaheed (22) gestures while returning a punt for a touchdown past Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Jake Camarda (5) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) runs toward the end zone to score past New Orleans Saints safety J.T. Gray (48) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

New Orleans Saints safety Johnathan Abram (24) returns an interception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bub Means (16) catches a touchdown pass in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Tyrek Funderburk (24) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) celebrates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin, middle, is congratulated by quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) and wide receiver Sterling Shepard (17) after scoring against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, middle left, runs against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Germany on Saturday was still in shock and struggling to understand the suspect behind the attack in the city of Magdeburg.

Identified by local media as 50-year-old Taleb A., a psychiatry and psychotherapy specialist, authorities said he has been living in Germany for two decades. He was arrested on site after plowing a black BMW into a Christmas market crowded with holiday shoppers Friday evening, killing at least five people and wounding about 200 others.

Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann posted on X that he had yet to come across a suspect in an act of mass violence with that profile.

Taleb’s X account is filled with tweets and retweets focusing on anti-Islam themes and criticism of the religion while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith. He also described himself as a former Muslim.

He was critical of German authorities, saying they had failed to do enough to combat the “Islamism of Europe.”

He has also voiced support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Some described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have been targeting Saudi asylum seekers.

Neumann, the terrorism expert, wrote: “After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists — that really wasn’t on my radar."

On Saturday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters: “At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic – we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.”

A German-based organization called Athiest Refugee Relief said the alleged attacker was not a part of the group and claimed that he made “numerous accusations and claims” against it and former board members, which it said were false.

“We distance ourselves from him in the strongest terms," the group said in a statement on its website, adding that members of Atheist Refugee Relief filed a criminal complaint against him in 2019 following “the most foul slander and verbal attacks."

An image taken from a video shows police officers arresting a suspect after car drove into a crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (TNN/DPA via AP)

A person stands by flowers and candles placed outside St. John's Church near a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)