Game story
In Week 13 of the 2008 NFL season on 2008-11-30, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took care of business against the New Orleans Saints, pulling away with a 23–20 final that came down to the wire.
The highest-scoring period was Q3 with 14 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.
D. Brees (New Orleans Saints) paced the passing game, with -3.21 total EPA, and -6.6% completion percentage over expected.
On the individual side, M. Colston (New Orleans Saints) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +10.47 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.
The momentum swing (-26.2% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when New Orleans Saints changed the game: (2:33) 9-D.Brees pass short left intended for 12-M.Colston INTERCEPTED by 23-J.Phillips at NO 30. 23-J.Phillips to NO 17 for 13 yards (12-M.Colston).
Line score
Final score and points by quarter.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | — | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
Stars of the game
Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.
- 1 M. Colston · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +10.47 total EPA · 6 snaps · +1.75 EPA/play
- 2 A. Bryant · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Receiving · +6.01 total EPA · 3 snaps · +2.00 EPA/play
- 3 J. Shockey · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +3.56 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.89 EPA/play
- 4 P. Thomas · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +3.31 total EPA · 1 snaps · +3.31 EPA/play
- 5 C. Williams · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Rushing · +2.90 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.73 EPA/play
- 6 L. Moore · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +2.80 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.40 EPA/play
- 7 B. Miller · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +2.64 total EPA · 3 snaps · +0.88 EPA/play
- 8 D. Henderson · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +2.50 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.25 EPA/play
Player of the game
FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.
M. Colston — NO · Receiving
M. Colston posted the highest total EPA (+10.47) in the game, making the biggest overall impact on New Orleans Saints's efficiency. Across 6 counted snaps, they averaged +1.75 EPA per play.
The signature play (-5.08 EPA) came from New Orleans Saints: (4:43) 9-D.Brees pass deep right intended for 88-J.Shockey INTERCEPTED by 59-C.June (20-R.Barber) at TB -1. Touchback.
Who scored touchdowns and field goals
Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.
Touchdowns
- New Orleans Saints — L. Moore (D. Brees pass)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — C. Williams
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — A. Bryant (J. Garcia pass)
- New Orleans Saints — P. Thomas (D. Brees pass)
Field goals
- New Orleans Saints — G. Hartley
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — M. Bryant
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — M. Bryant
- New Orleans Saints — G. Hartley
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — M. Bryant
How it unfolded, quarter by quarter
A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.
The opening quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 3–0. New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the TB 29 (Q1 50:44) — (5:44) (Field Goal formation) 5-G.Hartley 47 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-G.Pakulak..
The second quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers connected on a field goal from the NO 21 (Q2 44:54) — (14:54) (Field Goal formation) 3-M.Bryant 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell.; Tampa Bay Buccaneers connected on a field goal from the NO 5 (Q2 32:38) — (2:38) (Field Goal formation) 3-M.Bryant 23 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the TB 13 (Q2 30:40) — (:40) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 16-L.Moore for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the TB 2 (Q2 30:33) — (Kick formation) 5-G.Hartley extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-G.Pakulak..
The third quarter: Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the period 14–0. Tampa Bay Buccaneers found the end zone from the NO 8 (Q3 25:24) — (10:24) 24-C.Williams right end for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Tampa Bay Buccaneers added 1 points from the NO 2 (Q3 25:14) — (Kick formation) 3-M.Bryant extra point is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell.; Tampa Bay Buccaneers found the end zone from the NO 39 (Q3 23:45) — (8:45) (Shotgun) 7-J.Garcia pass deep middle to 89-A.Bryant for 39 yards, TOUCHDOWN [91-W.Smith].; Tampa Bay Buccaneers added 1 points from the NO 2 (Q3 23:36) — (Kick formation) 3-M.Bryant extra point is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell..
The fourth quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 10–3. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the TB 20 (Q4 12:18) — (12:18) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 23-P.Thomas for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the TB 2 (Q4 12:09) — (Kick formation) 5-G.Hartley extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-G.Pakulak.; New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the TB 25 (Q4 5:38) — (5:38) (Field Goal formation) 5-G.Hartley 43 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-G.Pakulak.; Tampa Bay Buccaneers connected on a field goal from the NO 19 (Q4 2:00) — (2:00) (Field Goal formation) 3-M.Bryant 37 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell..
Turning points
Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.
- New Orleans Saints (Q4 2:33) — (2:33) 9-D.Brees pass short left intended for 12-M.Colston INTERCEPTED by 23-J.Phillips at NO 30. 23-J.Phillips to NO 17 for 13 yards (12-M.Colston).
- New Orleans Saints (Q4 1:45) — (1:45) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right intended for 16-L.Moore INTERCEPTED by 31-P.Buchanon [90-G.Adams] at NO 40. 31-P.Buchanon to NO 33 for 7 yards (88-J.Shockey).
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Q1 52:28) — (7:28) (Shotgun) 7-J.Garcia pass short middle to 80-M.Clayton to TB 41 for no gain (51-J.Vilma). FUMBLES (51-J.Vilma), touched at TB 41, RECOVERED by NO-51-J.Vilma at TB 41. 51-J.Vilma to TB 35 for 6
- New Orleans Saints (Q2 31:55) — (1:55) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep middle to 12-M.Colston to TB 21 for 37 yards (36-T.Jackson).
- New Orleans Saints (Q3 19:43) — (4:43) 9-D.Brees pass deep right intended for 88-J.Shockey INTERCEPTED by 59-C.June (20-R.Barber) at TB -1. Touchback.
Impact plays
Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.
- New Orleans Saints (Q3 19:43) — (4:43) 9-D.Brees pass deep right intended for 88-J.Shockey INTERCEPTED by 59-C.June (20-R.Barber) at TB -1. Touchback.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Q1 52:28) — (7:28) (Shotgun) 7-J.Garcia pass short middle to 80-M.Clayton to TB 41 for no gain (51-J.Vilma). FUMBLES (51-J.Vilma), touched at TB 41, RECOVERED by NO-51-J.Vilma at TB 41. 51-J.Vilma to TB 35 for 6
- New Orleans Saints (Q4 2:33) — (2:33) 9-D.Brees pass short left intended for 12-M.Colston INTERCEPTED by 23-J.Phillips at NO 30. 23-J.Phillips to NO 17 for 13 yards (12-M.Colston).
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Q3 23:45) — (8:45) (Shotgun) 7-J.Garcia pass deep middle to 89-A.Bryant for 39 yards, TOUCHDOWN [91-W.Smith].
Quarterback report card
D.Brees led all passers in efficiency for New Orleans Saints, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.
- D.Brees (New Orleans Saints) · 50 dropbacks · 50.0% completion · -6.6% CPOE · -0.06 EPA/play · -3.21 total EPA
- J.Garcia (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) · 32 dropbacks · 28.1% completion · -18.6% CPOE · -0.30 EPA/play · -9.56 total EPA
Team stats comparison
Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.
| Stat | New Orleans Saints | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
|---|---|---|
| Offensive EPA/play | -0.096 | -0.085 |
| Offensive success rate | 41.4% | 43.6% |
| Pass EPA/play | -0.064 | -0.299 |
| Rush EPA/play | -0.373 | +0.027 |
| Defensive EPA/play | +0.085 | +0.096 |
| Defensive success rate | 56.4% | 58.6% |
By the numbers
Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (New Orleans Saints -0.10, Tampa Bay Buccaneers -0.09) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.
- New Orleans Saints: 13 drives, -8.34 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 14 drives, -6.61 total EPA, 5 scoring drives
Key takeaways
What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
- One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
- M. Colston (New Orleans Saints) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
- D. Brees (NO) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
- J. Garcia (TB) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
Every scoring play
Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.
- New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q1 50:44 · TB 29 · Score 3-0
(5:44) (Field Goal formation) 5-G.Hartley 47 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-G.Pakulak. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers FG (+3) — Q2 44:54 · NO 21 · Score 3-3
(14:54) (Field Goal formation) 3-M.Bryant 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers FG (+3) — Q2 32:38 · NO 5 · Score 3-6
(2:38) (Field Goal formation) 3-M.Bryant 23 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell. - New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q2 30:40 · TB 13 · Score 9-6
(:40) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 16-L.Moore for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN. - New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q2 30:33 · TB 2 · Score 10-6
(Kick formation) 5-G.Hartley extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-G.Pakulak. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers TD (+6) — Q3 25:24 · NO 8 · Score 10-12
(10:24) 24-C.Williams right end for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers XP (+1) — Q3 25:14 · NO 2 · Score 10-13
(Kick formation) 3-M.Bryant extra point is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers TD (+6) — Q3 23:45 · NO 39 · Score 10-19
(8:45) (Shotgun) 7-J.Garcia pass deep middle to 89-A.Bryant for 39 yards, TOUCHDOWN [91-W.Smith]. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers XP (+1) — Q3 23:36 · NO 2 · Score 10-20
(Kick formation) 3-M.Bryant extra point is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell. - New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q4 12:18 · TB 20 · Score 16-20
(12:18) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 23-P.Thomas for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN. - New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q4 12:09 · TB 2 · Score 17-20
(Kick formation) 5-G.Hartley extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-G.Pakulak. - New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q4 5:38 · TB 25 · Score 20-20
(5:38) (Field Goal formation) 5-G.Hartley 43 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-G.Pakulak. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers FG (+3) — Q4 2:00 · NO 19 · Score 20-23
(2:00) (Field Goal formation) 3-M.Bryant 37 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-A.Economos, Holder-9-J.Bidwell.
Frequently asked questions
Who won New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints 23-20 in Week 13, 2008 on 2008-11-30.
What was the final score of New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
The final score was New Orleans Saints 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23 (NO 20-23 TB) in Week 13, 2008 on 2008-11-30.
What was the score by quarter in New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Q1: New Orleans Saints 3, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0; Q2: New Orleans Saints 7, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6; Q3: New Orleans Saints 0, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14; Q4: New Orleans Saints 10, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3; Final: New Orleans Saints 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23.
Who scored touchdowns and field goals in New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
New Orleans Saints touchdown — L. Moore (D. Brees pass) (Q2 30:40) Tampa Bay Buccaneers touchdown — C. Williams (Q3 25:24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers touchdown — A. Bryant (J. Garcia pass) (Q3 23:45) New Orleans Saints touchdown — P. Thomas (D. Brees pass) (Q4 12:18) New Orleans Saints field goal — G. Hartley (Q1 50:44, 3 pts) Tampa Bay Buccaneers field goal — M. Bryant (Q2 44:54, 3 pts) Tampa Bay Buccaneers field goal — M. Bryant (Q2 32:38, 3 pts) New Orleans Saints field goal — G. Hartley (Q4 5:38, 3 pts) Tampa Bay Buccaneers field goal — M. Bryant (Q4 2:00, 3 pts) Extra points followed each touchdown unless noted in the play-by-play.
How did the quarterbacks play in New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
D. Brees (New Orleans Saints), 50.0% completion, -6.6% CPOE, -0.06 EPA per dropback, -3.21 total passing EPA. J. Garcia (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), 28.1% completion, -18.6% CPOE, -0.30 EPA per dropback, -9.56 total passing EPA.
Who was the most impactful player in New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
M. Colston (New Orleans Saints) led the game in total EPA with +10.47 on receiving plays. across 6 snaps. The top single-play swing was (-5.08 EPA): (4:43) 9-D.Brees pass deep right intended for 88-J.Shockey INTERCEPTED by 59-C.June (20-R.Barber) at TB -1. Touchback.. The biggest win-probability swing was -26.2%.
Was New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers a close game?
Yes — the margin was 3 points. Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 23-20 in a game that came down to the wire.
Season records after this game
New Orleans Saints
Entered 6-5 Now 6-6 L
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Entered 8-3 Now 9-3 W
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