NEW ORLEANS _ With every touchdown pass, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome echoed Sunday with deafening chants of Ted-dy! Ted-dy! Ted-dy!
The Saints may be without injured quarterback Drew Brees.
But Teddy Bridgewater ran his record to 3-0 by passing for 314 yards and four touchdown passes and the Saints served formal notice they are still the team to beat in the NFC South with a 31-24 win over the Bucs.
Tampa Bay came into the game with a chance to take over first place in the division and riding high following their 55-40 win over the Rams in Los Angeles last Sunday.
The Bucs did not resemble the Hollywood version of the team they had a week ago. Neither did quarterback Jameis Winston.
After completing the best three-game stretch of his career, Winston and the Bucs' offense took a big step back Sunday.
Winston passed for 380 yards and four touchdowns against the Rams. But on Sunday, it took him until the fourth quarter for him to eclipse 100 yards through the air. A late touchdown drive elevated his statistics (15-of-27, 204 yards), but hardly masked the offense's struggles.
The Bucs couldn't keep their defense off the field and didn't make many plays when the offense had the football.
The loss dropped the Bucs to 2-3 overall heading into next Sunday's game vs. Carolina in London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It's a week to week league and that was never more evident than Sunday.
In fact, the Bucs were fortunate to only be trailing 17-10 at halftime. They only had the ball 21 offensive plays. Mike Evans and O.J. Howard did not have a catch. Chris Godwin had one for 26 yards and a touchdown, and that came after an interception by rookie Sean Murphy-Bunting.
The Bucs also had no plan _ whatsoever _ to cover Michael Thomas.
The Saints Pro Bowl receiver had 10 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown, most of it coming in the first half. It didn't help that the officiating crew ejected Bucs cornerback Carlton Davis for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Ted Ginn Jr. in the first half.
In fact, the Bucs only score in the first half came after rookie Sean Murphy-Bunting intercepted a pass that bounced off the hands of running back Alvin Kamara at the New Orleans 20-yard line.
Two plays later, after Winston took a sack, he connected with Godwin for a 26-yard TD pass.
On the first play of the second half, Thomas appeared to have pushed off Hargreaves before hauling in a 42-yard pass. The Bucs challenged that Thomas interfered, but the original ruling was inexplicably confirmed.
The Bucs then blew a coverage on Ginn, who was left alone in the middle of the field and Bridgewater found him for a 33-yard touchdown pass to build the Saints lead to 24-10.
Credit the Bucs, ignited by the strong running of Ronald Jones, for getting back into the game.
Winston put together a 17-play, 75-yard drive. The Bucs converted one fourth down and two third downs. Winston's pass to Godwin set up Peyton Barber's 2-yard touchdown run and narrow the margin to 24-17
But the Saints eventually scored again, with Thomas producing a 12-yard reception in which he bulled through defensive backs Mike Edwards and Murphy-Bunting. Up by 14, the Saints teed off on Winston.
They sacked him on three consecutive plays on one drive in the fourth quarter.
