The Tampa Bay Buccaneers vowed that their 2015 season would not be defined by a poor showing in the season opener. As it turned out, that stigma didn't even last a single week.
The Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 26-19, on Sunday in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, building a 16-point lead in the third quarter and then holding off a furious comeback by Drew Brees and the Saints. Brees had two cracks at the end zone from the Buccaneers' 27 with eight seconds to play, but the first was broken up and the second sailed out of the back after the quarterback was hurried by a pass rush that had him on the run all day.