Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians wasted no time and immediately slotted in new acquisition wide receiver Antonio Brown against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9. The seven-time Pro Bowler participated in 39 offensive snaps and posted three catches for 31 yards without a touchdown scored for the Bucs, via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.

Despite the lack of overall numbers on the stat sheet and a poor route that resulted in a Tom Brady interception, Brown still gave more than anyone expected from him after he just recently joined the Buccaneers and became eligible to practice five days ago. His last NFL game before this one came all the way back Sept. 15, 2019 in a Week 2 game against the Miami Dolphins, when he contributed a touchdown as a player for the New England Patriots.

The Florida native did have one especially impressive catch on a dart from Brady. Even though it was when the game was a blowout, it was still a tantalizing visual for the potential of this rekindled partnership.

Even if there was some rust, Brown making his return was one of the few notable bright spots for the Buccaneers on an ugly night. Tampa Bay lost 38-3 and managed just 194 yards of total offense. Brady threw three interceptions as part of his worst loss ever.

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JC Latham (Alabama), Chris Braswell (Alabama not Jaguars), Cornelieus Johnson (Michigan) in action behind a New Orleans Saints logo with a 2024 NFL Draft background.

Dylan Bruton ·

This Buccaneers loss means the Saints now own the top spot in the NFC South. New Orleans is 6-2 on the season, while Tampa Bay sits at 6-3. The Saints swept the Buccaneers this season.

Antonio Brown will look to have a better outing to help his team get back on the winning track in their next game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 proceedings.