Buccaneers beat Saints 27-19 to clinch NFC South and wide receiver Mike Evans surpasses 1,000 yards

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Just 36 seconds away from clinching the NFC South title, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had another goal to achieve.

Take a knee on their 32-yard line and run out the clock?

No chance. Mike Evans still needed 5 yards to make history.

Evans caught a 9-yard pass on the final play of the game to surpass 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season, tying Jerry Rice for the most ever in the NFL and setting off a wild celebration following Tampa Bay's 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

“He always (puts the team first),” Baker Mayfield said of Evans. “That’s why you love him. We’re lucky to have him. He’s underappreciated throughout the media and the league. He’s one of one. He deserves that. You saw the stadium erupt. You saw the sideline erupt. You can tell how much people care about him and what that means for everybody around him.”

Mayfield used his legs and arm to help the Buccaneers secure their fourth straight division championship, rallying the team from a 16-6 deficit for his first career win after trailing by 10 or more points. Mayfield had been 0-43 in those situations.

The Buccaneers (10-7) will host the Washington Commanders (12-5) next Sunday night in a wild-card playoff game. It's a rematch of Tampa Bay's 37-20 victory over Washington in Week 1 in rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels' first game.

Mayfield fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan for the go-ahead score and then scrambled 28 yards for a crucial first down on the next drive. After Mayfield’s long scramble on third-and-14 from the Tampa 12, the Buccaneers drove to the Saints 11. Mayfield looked for Evans but flipped the ball backward to Bucky Irving, who ran 11 yards for a TD.

The Saints turned the ball over on downs and the Buccaneers got one more chance to get Evans the milestone.

Mayfield tossed a short pass to Evans, who ran upfield for a 9-yard gain. He got up, spiked the ball and was mobbed by teammates.

“I was hoping we got a stop because I can't pass up history,” said Evans, who missed several games this season with a hamstring injury. “I'm happy they let me go out and get that. It's hard to do for 11 straight years. To be tied with one of, if not the greatest receiver of all time, it means a lot to me and my family.”

Mayfield threw for 212 yards and two TDs and had a career-high 68 yards rushing as the Buccaneers (10-7) made sure they didn’t need Atlanta to lose to Carolina to win the division. The Falcons eventually lost in overtime.

Spencer Rattler had 240 yards passing and one TD for the Saints (5-12).

The Buccaneers trailed most of the game and were down 16-6 at halftime. They went ahead when Mayfield connected with McMillan for a score in the fourth quarter. McMillan was penalized 15 yards for an unsportsmanlike penalty after making a 33-yard catch that extended the drive on fourth-and-8. The rookie receiver signaled first down in a gesture that was interpreted as mimicking shooting a gun. That pushed the Buccaneers back from the 9 to the 24.

But McMillan made up for it with a toe-tapping catch in the end zone for his seventh TD in the past five games.

“My fingers were taped so I didn't really think about it,” McMillan said of the gun gesture. “But I messed up. I kept my composure and that's football, you have highs and lows. ... and the ball found me again.”

The Saints scored on their first four possessions, including Rattler’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis.

Facing a depleted secondary missing three starters, Rattler carved up Tampa’s defense in the first half. He completed 21 of 28 for 151 yards while building a 10-point lead.

With Tom Brady watching from the television booth, the Buccaneers secured their fifth straight playoff appearance and finished with the No. 3 seed. The postseason streak began in 2020 when Brady left the Patriots to join Tampa Bay and led the Buccaneers to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.

Mayfield stepped in last year after Brady retired, revived his career and helped the Buccaneers advance to the divisional round.

Mayfield had a career year this season, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs.

The Saints finished a disappointing season that began with plenty of promise. New Orleans opened 2-0, outscoring the Panthers and Cowboys 91-29. But the Saints fell apart, coach Dennis Allen lost his job and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi took over on an interim basis.

“For us to be playing for nothing and for our guys to go out there and give the effort they gave, it's pretty remarkable,” Rizzi said. “Right up to the last play of the season, our guys are fighting, scratching, clawing. That's a credit to them.”

The Buccaneers were 0-6 this season when they didn’t score first. Blake Grupe kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Saints a 3-0 lead on the opening drive.

Saints: S Tyrann Mathieu left the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter.

Buccaneers: S Antoine Winfield Jr (knee), TE Cade Otton (knee) and CB WR Jamel Dean (knee) were inactive. S Jordan Whitehead also didn’t play because he was injured in a car accident

Saints: Head coaching search.

Buccaneers: Host a wild-card playoff game vs. Washington on Sunday night.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Dante Pettis (17) pulls in a touchdown reception during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) pulls in a pass against New Orleans Saints cornerback Will Harris (5) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) passes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi reacts on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sean Tucker (44) is stopped by New Orleans Saints safety Millard Bradford on a kickoff return during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scrambles during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bradley Beal made the most of the unfamiliar role of substitute for the Phoenix Suns. That doesn't mean he had to like it.

Beal came off the bench for the first time in nine years on Monday night and scored a team-high 25 points as the Suns snapped a four-game losing streak with a 109-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Beal scored 20 points in the second half as Phoenix overcame an early 12-point deficit and won for just the second time in nine games.

After the game, the 31-year-old Beal said he accepted coach Mike Budenholzer’s lineup change, but made it clear he considers himself a starter in the NBA.

“Coach made his decision. Live with it,” the three-time All-Star said in a postgame interview with AZCentral.com. “It’s kind of twofold. I’m a starter in the league. I firmly believe that. No disrespect to anybody, but I’m a starter. ... Coach made a decision. I’m not going to sit there and argue with him. I’m not going to sit here and be a distraction.”

Beal last came off the bench during the 2015-16 season while returning from an injury with the Washington Wizards.

Budenholzer also moved Jusuf Nurkic, who was returning from a three-game suspension for his role in a fight against Dallas, into a reserve role and said before the game both players handled the news well.

“I feel like we needed to make a change," Budenholzer said. “Throughout a 48-minute game, you got to figure out your best combinations, your best ways to try to have success. They’re two important players to us, two very good players for us. We just felt like we needed to make a change.

“They’re pros. I talked to each of them individually. They want what’s best for the team. I have a lot of respect for them and an appreciation for them.”

Beal and Nurkic (five points, seven rebounds) gave the Suns' bench a huge boost as the Phoenix reserves outscored Philadelphia's bench 54-7.

“What he was able to do tonight really put us in a great spot, made a bunch of plays for himself, bunch of plays for his teammates,” Budenholzer said of Beal. “He’s been a pro. He was there for us tonight in a big way.”

While he was there for the Suns on Monday, Beal was asked whether he believed the lineup move had anything to do with trade speculation.

“If so, I need to be addressed because I hold the cards,” said Beal, who has a no-trade clause in his contract. “Until I am addressed and somebody says something differently, I’ll be a Sun.”

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Phoenix Suns' Bradley Beal (3) goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Guerschon Yabusele (28) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Phoenix Suns' Bradley Beal, top, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Guerschon Yabusele during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Phoenix Suns' Bradley Beal, center, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Guerschon Yabusele, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)