By: Jordan Fiegel

Look past the scoreboard.

That was the message from Bobby Hebert. If you look at the scoreboard, you'll see a fairly close score of 31-24; but that wasn't a true representation of the New Orleans Saints win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“That was a convincing win,” Hebert said. “When you look at it…that was really a double-digit win.”

Trailing at the end of the first quarter, the Saints took the lead early in the second quarter and never trailed again. It was 31-17, until Tampa Bay scored a touchdown with just 19 seconds left to make things look closer than they actually were. And a large part of this dominance was from Teddy Bridgewater.

“Teddy Bridgewater was outstanding,” Hebert said. “Considering the pressure of following someone like Drew Brees, he got it done; and that's what you want to see from Teddy.

“If he plays like that, the Saints aren't going to lose to anyone,” Hebert declared. “You have to be really optimistic about things with where Teddy's at leading the team right now.”

It was Bridgewater's best game as a Saint: 314 yards, 4 touchdowns, a 76.5% completion percentage, and a 131.2 passer rating. Hebert then pointed out that a young defender also had his best game as a Saint.

“Look at how Marcus Davenport is trending,” Hebert pointed out. “This was obviously his best game in a Saints uniform. He's establishing himself.”

Davenport recorded two sacks, upping his season total to three. He also had three QB hits, marking the third time this season he's had three in a game. Hebert also praised the rest of the defensive line.

“If you can sack the quarterback without Dennis Allen having to design stunts or draw up a lot of blitzes, you're in good shape,” Hebert continued. “The Saints six sacks all came from the defensive line. That goes a long way.”

The back-end of the Saints defense also had a solid game. For the first time all season, New Orleans kept their opponent under 200 yards passing; and Pro-Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans was completely shutout.

“Marshon Lattimore was impressive,” Hebert said. “That has to help his confidence. The last time Mike Evans was in the Superdome, he torched the Saints. This time, the shoe was on the other foot. That was not only a Pro Bowl performance…that was an All-Pro performance.”