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Saints vs. Buccaneers live score, updates, highlights from NFL ‘Monday Night Football’ game

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will be looking to solidify their position atop the NFC South as they host the Saints on “Monday Night Football.”

Tampa Bay (5-6) has a two-game cushion in the division despite a brutal 23-17 loss in overtime to the Browns last week. Head coach Todd Bowles made several questionable game management decisions — including not calling a timeout during a potential game-winning drive — as the team’s two-game winning streak came to a demoralizing end.

“We’re not scoring enough points,” Brady said after the loss. “Every play is an individual win or loss, and we’re losing too many. There were too many plays where we weren’t on the right page, and we’ve got to correct that.”

He’ll have a chance to help get his team back on track against a struggling Saints defense.

MORE: SN’s latest NFL power rankings

New Orleans (4-8) has had a rough season, but it somehow remains in the hunt for a playoff spot despite losing three of its last four games.

Last time out, the Saints were blanked in an ugly 13-0 loss to the 49ers. It was the first time they had been shut out since 2001, snapping the longest active scoring streak in the NFL. Andy Dalton and the offense will need to be much, much better to have any chance of keeping up with Brady.

The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights from Saints vs. Buccaneers. Follow along for all the key moments from the “Monday Night Football” matchup.

MORE: Watch Saints vs. Buccaneers live on fuboTV (free trial)

Saints vs. Buccaneers score

1 2 3 4 F
Saints 0 10 – – –
Buccaneers 3 0 – – –

Saints vs. Buccaneers live updates, highlights from ‘Monday Night Football’

(All times Eastern.)

10:06 p.m — The Saints begin moving methodically down the field, and Olave makes a grab to pick up 22 yards and move the ball to the cusp of the red zone.

9:59 pm FUMBLE — A holding penalty backs up the Buccaneers, and on 3rd and a mile they check down to White. He has the ball knocked out of his hands from behind by Cam Jordan, and Carl Granderson pounces on it to recover for New Orleans! It would probably have been a punt anyways, but this certainly gives the Saints better field position.

9:57 p.m — Evans makes a nice grab, his second of the night, for a gain of 22. Don’t be surprised if Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich try to get him involved in this second half.

9:52 p.m — Like the first half, the Saints started the second with a three-and-out. Mark Ingram got dragged down for a loss of a yard on 3rd and 7 to force a quick punt.

9:50 pm START OF SECOND HALF — The Saints receive the kickoff and will try to extend their lead.

9:40 p.m — Biggest takeaway of the first half? Brady looked bad. Not a little off his game, he looked legitimately bad at times. Dalton is outplaying him so far tonight.

End of first half: Saints 10, Buccaneers 3

9:37 p.m — The Buccaneers will just kneel this out and head into the locker room to lick their wounds. They got booed off the field after a really poor first half showing.

Saints 10, Buccaneers 3

9:33 pm FIELD GOAL — Lutz knocks it through from 38 yards out to make it a 7-point game.

9:32 p.m — Passes to Olave and Shaheed move the Saints to the Tampa 25-yard line, but a pass from the hands of Jarvis Landry on 3rd and 2 brings up a 4th down. Will Lutz will come on to attempt a field goal.

9:29 pm INTERCEPTION — Brady is picked off by Demario Davis! Brady apparently just didn’t see Davis lurking underneath the route, and he paid the price. That’s a tough momentum swing for Tampa right before halftime.

9:25 p.m — Mike Evans finally gets his first catch of the night, and it’s a big one! He makes a grab down the right sideline for a gain of 14 and a first down.

9:21 pm TWO-MINUTE WARNING — The Bucs finally got a good play on offense after White caught and ran for 12 yards to move the chains on 3rd down. They could use a few more plays like that. After White gets it again for a short run, we’ve hit the two-minute warning.

9:15 p.m — But they can’t take advantage. Dalton put a pass on the money for Chris Olave on 3rd and 9, but the rookie flat out dropped it. New Orleans can only manage another three-and-out.

9:13 p.m — Shaheed came dangerously close to taking that back all the way to the house. He was forced out of bounds by Camarda at the Tampa Bay 40 to give the Saints’ offense fantastic field position.

9:10 p.m — New Orleans’ rookie corner Alontae Taylor makes two consecutive nice plays. First, he drags down Fournette in the backfield, then he breaks up a pass intended for Godwin. That brings up 4th and 13 for Tampa and it’ll be another punt.

Saints 7, Buccaneers 3

9:03 pm TOUCHDOWN — Taysom Hill lines up as a receiver, and finds himself WIDE open for his second touchdown catch of the season! Great job by Dalton to make that throw with a defender coming right at him!

9:01 p.m — This Saints offense is starting to find some rhythm. Dalton tosses right to a wide open Trautman for a gain of 20 and another first down. They have it at about the Buccaneers’ 30-yard line.

9:00 p.m — On 3rd and 5, Dalton zips a pass over the middle to Shaheed, who catches and runs for a nice gain of 19 yards. He’s looked very explosive so far in this game.

8:54 p.m — On yet another 3rd down situation, Brady just slightly overthrows an open Julio Jones streaking toward the end zone. That could easily have been a touchdown, and to be honest we usually see Brady make that throw. He was visibly frustrated after it fell incomplete. Jake Camarda comes on for his second punt of the evening.

8:51 p.m — A Brady pass goes incomplete on 3rd down, but a defensive holding call on Paulson Adebo bails out the Bucs and gives them a free first down.

8:48 p.m — After the big play, a holding penalty backs up the Saints. A few plays later, it’s 3rd and 8, and Dalton’s pass goes off the hands of Adam Trautman. A promising drive ends with another punt for New Orleans.

End of first quarter: Buccaneers 3, Saints 0

8:44 p.m — Big play! On 2nd and 10, Dalton goes deep down the left sideline to Rashid Shaheed, who hauls it in for a gain of 40 yards!

8:39 p.m — Fournette picks up a quick first down, but the drive stalls out after that. Rachaad White can’t hang on to Brady’s pass on 3rd and 4 and the Bucs will have to punt it right back.

8:33 p.m — Andy Dalton and the Saints’ offense takes the field for the first time tonight. Alvin Kamara runs for a couple of short gains to set up 3rd and 5, then Dalton is swarmed and sacked for a big loss by Lavonte David! That’s a three-and-out to open the night for New Orleans.

Buccaneers 3, Saints 0

8:28 pm FIELD GOAL — Ryan Succop makes the chip shot to give Tampa an early lead.

8:26 p.m — Fournette gets nothing on 1st down, then a short completion to Godwin sets up 3rd and goal. Fournette catches a short pass to the right, but he’s tripped up short of the goal line. The Saints come up with a big goal line stand! The Bucs have to settle for a field goal attempt.

8:24 p.m — Fournette takes a handoff up the middle for a gain of 7 to set up 1st and goal.

8:21 p.m — Brady has to throw a designed screen pass into the dirt on 2nd down to bring up 3rd and 4. He drops back and goes short over the middle to Leonard Fournette, who powers forward for another first down. This is a very solid opening drive for the Bucs and they’ve now moved into the red zone.

8:19 p.m — Facing 3rd and 2, Brady goes right back to Godwin on an almost identical route to bring up another fresh set of downs.

8:17 p.m — On 2nd down, Brady’s first pass of the night is completed to a wide open Chris Godwin near the right sideline for a first down.

8:16 p.m — New Orleans kicks it away, and Brady takes the field for the first offensive possession of the night.

8:10 p.m — Kickoff on “Monday Night Football” is just a few minutes away. Let’s see who comes out on top in this NFC South showdown.

8:01 p.m — Tom Brady and Aaron Judge exchange pleasantries as TB12 heads back to the locker room. Judge has on a Mike Evans jersey and looks like he’ll be rooting for the Bucs tonight.

7:31 p.m — The Saints are wearing a set of custom primetime uniforms tonight complete with special black helmets. Pretty clean.

7:21 p.m — Here are some of the custom cleats the Bucs are rocking as a part of “My Cause, My Cleats.”

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Date: Monday, Dec. 5
  • Time: 8:15 p.m. ET

Saints vs. The Buccaneers will kick off at 8:15 pm ET from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The weather forecast calls for clear skies with temperatures in the high 60s Fahrenheit.

What channel is Saints vs. Buccaneers on today?

The game will be broadcast nationally in the United States on ESPN. Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color analyst) and Lisa Salters (sideline reporter) will be on the call from the Sunshine State.

Week 13 marks the return of “Monday Football with Peyton and Eli,” the alternate broadcast on ESPN2 hosted by Peyton and Eli Manning.

Fans in Canada can watch the game on TSN1 or RDS. They can view the “Manningcast” on TSN3.

A live stream will be available to those watching from the US on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. Viewers in Canada can tune in with DAZN, which features every NFL game.