The Bucs turned the Saints game into a full-on beatdown, walking away with a 51-27 thrashing that left New Orleans in the dust. But Tampa wasn’t just playing to pad the score—they had bigger motivations. With Hurricane Milton wreaking havoc in Florida, Coach Todd Bowles dedicated this win to the people.

He hit the nail on the head after the game, saying, “It gave ‘em a chance to smile for a couple of hours.” That’s what it was all about. For the Bucs, this win wasn’t just about the scoreboard—it was about lifting the spirits of their community, and they delivered in style.

With Hurricane Milton closing in, the Bucs moved out of Tampa ahead of their Saints game. And the relocation became the need of the hour. They relocated on Tuesday, so it gave them time to prepare ahead for the Sunday Night Football. Guess that was the key to their fiery performance.

The thing is, though, they played the Saints at their own game. Remember when they had to adapt during Hurricane Katrina back in 2005? Yup, it’s not something new. But many doubted Tampa to have a rather off-day and whatnot, especially having concerns about their friends and family.

Sure, it would have played on the back of the mind had it been the case, as the Bucs’ HC also noted: “I tell the guys all the time. We think about families as a team. As long as your family is safe, all the other things are replaceable.” But they were safe.

And courtesy of a Baker Mayfield show, Tampa overcame adversity to gift a smile for a couple of hours to the community, as pointed out by Todd Bowles.

Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield did it for Tampa!

The thing is, this was not Baker’s first storm rodeo. Just last month, he and his wife had to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Helene. So yeah, you could say he’s had some practice handling the chaos, both on and off the field.

And when Todd Bowles said the win was about giving the people of Florida a break, Baker took it up a notch: “Today was about embracing everything that everybody was going through… fighting through it and trying to make it work.” That’s life, as Baker put it.

Mayfield’s performance against the Saints was a bit of a rollercoaster, though. He started strong, marching the Bucs down the field, and hitting Chris Godwin for a touchdown on the opening drive. Then, boom, the defense returned a fumble for another score, and just like that, Tampa was rolling.

But, of course, the highs came with some lows. Baker threw three picks on four drives. Yikes. Still, he shook it off and picked apart the Saints’ defense in the second half. By the end of the game, Mayfield had thrown four touchdown passes over 325 yards.

Sure, it wasn’t pretty, but he still pulled off the win. At the end of the day, Mayfield and Bowles did it for Tampa. And this W was for the people!