NFL | Brees, Saints find margin for error in rout of Buccaneers

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) carries for a touchdown past a diving Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Clinton McDonald in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans this weekend

Drew Brees started listing the mistakes the Saints made against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There were two lost fumbles, one on Alvin Kamara’s run and another on Willie Snead’s muffed punt. Wil Lutz missed a 43-yard field goal and had an extra point blocked. Brees missed a deep throw to Ted Ginn when the speedy receiver was behind the Bucs’ defense. The Saints’ kickoff return unit also botched a trick play .

In the NFL, teams generally need to be playing well to overcome all that. New Orleans overcame it to the tune of a 30-10 rout.

“By no means was it perfect out there,” Brees said. “I felt like we had some opportunities to score” more points.

The Saints (6-2) are now riding a six-game winning streak, longer than any streak they had during their last playoff season in 2013, and their longest since 2011. Four of the victories have been by two touchdowns or more. None was closer than eight points.

Against Tampa Bay, the Saints made their share of big plays. There was Kamara’s serpentine, 33-yard touchdown on a screen pass and Ginn’s 36-yard score on a pass over the middle. Undrafted rookie Justin Hardee scored New Orleans’ first TD when he blocked a punt and recovered it on the run.

Defensively, the Saints continued to look like world beaters in what has been a stunning turnaround from New Orleans’ 0-2 start, during which the same unit gave up 1,025 yards and 65 points.

“We started out being one of the youngest defenses in the league,” said defensive end Cameron Jordan, who had 1 1/2 sacks against Tampa Bay. “I could not be prouder of our defense and the way that they are playing.”

The Bucs (2-6) lost their fifth straight, and their frustration boiled over during a scuffle that involved quarterback Jameis Winston and receiver Mike Evans.

Winston, who lasted only a half while playing with a shoulder injury, instigated the third-quarter dust-up when left the sideline and pushed his finger into the back of rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore’s helmet. Lattimore shoved back and then Evans decked Lattimore from behind, drawing an unnecessary roughness flag.

Evans berated himself for being childish and malicious. Winston, whose playing status for next week is uncertain, acknowledged that he’s not dealing well with the disappointment of a season that began with a lot of promise after the Bucks narrowly missed the playoffs a year ago.

“I hate losing. I hate losing. I hate losing,” Winston said. “It’s something that we are going to have to handle internally, but we are going to handle it.” Brett Martel, AP