By Mike Triplett | ESPN Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS -- It wasn't supposed to look like this. Not again. Not with a young defense that had finally turned things around so impressively last season.
But somehow the New Orleans Saints kicked off the 2018 season with a defensive flop as dreadful as anything they posted in some of those historically bad seasons between 2012 and 2016.
They allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw for 417 yards and four touchdowns and run for a fifth Sunday in a 48-40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Bucs had more TD passes of 50-plus yards (two) than punts (one).
It was one of the biggest Week 1 surprises in the NFL -- a stunning performance from a team that was anointed as one of this season's popular Super Bowl picks. ...
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