CNN International

(CNN) Tom Brady snapped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ‘ seven-game losing streak against the New Orleans Saints as his team overcame a fraught game filled with scuffles and frayed nerves to seal a 20-10 victory in Louisiana.

Four of those seven losses have come since Brady arrived at Tampa Bay, and those three years of frustration seemed to weigh on the seven-time Super Bowl winner.

With 10:48 remaining in the third quarter and trailing the Saints 3-0, Brady took out his anger on the sidelines by throwing a Microsoft tablet to the ground.

His frustrations simmered over into the fourth quarter and, after a third-down incomplete pass with the score tied 3-3, he came to blows with New Orleans cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Mike Evans intervened, sparking a skirmish that eventually led to the ejections of Lattimore and Evans.

Evans was later suspended for one game without pay by the NFL on Monday for “violations of unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct.”

While the suspension will not be welcome news to Tampa Bay, the incidents seemed to galvanize the Bucs on Sunday as Brady connected with wide receiver Breshad Perriman for a 28-yard touchdown in the team’s next series to put Tampa Bay up 10-3.

After a 47-yard Ryan Succop field goal to extend the lead with 5:50 left in the game, the Bucs sealed it when Mike Edwards picked off Saints QB Jameis Winston and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.

Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore get into an altercation during the second half of the Bucs’ chippy 20-10 win over the Saints. The win snapped Brady’s personal seven-game losing streak against the Saints. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay gave the home crowd something to cheer for when he returned the opening kickoff 103 yards to score a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins on September 18. Despite the feat, the Ravens went on to lose 42-38 after being outscored by 25 in the fourth quarter. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo celebrates with his teammates during the second half of a 27-7 win against the Seattle Seahawks on September 18. Garoppolo came on as a substitute after starter Trey Lance went down for the year with a fractured ankle and threw for 154 yards and one touchdown — and rushed for another — on 13/21 passing. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season The Cleveland Browns run the ball across midfield against the New York Jets during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns ended up losing 31-30 after being up by 13 points with 1:55 remaining in the game. Jets QB Joe Flacco threw for 307 yards and four TDs — including two in the final two minutes of the game — to carry the Jets. Sunday’s game saw the return of “Brownie the Elf” to the Browns’ home field. The logo was initially used by the Browns in their inaugural season in 1946 but fell out of favor in the 60s, returning when the franchise was brought back to Cleveland in 1999. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Arizona Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (left) picks up a fumble and returns it for the winning touchdown during overtime of a dramatic 29-23 win against the Las Vegas Raiders on September 18. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow throws during the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 on September 11 in Cincinnati. Burrow would go on to have five turnovers on the day — four interceptions and a lost fumble — in a 23-20 loss. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) had nine receptions for 184 yards and two TDs in a big 23-7 division win against the Green Bay Packers on September 11 in Minneapolis. This pass, however, was incomplete. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Seattle Seahawks fans make noise as Russell Wilson (3) of the Denver Broncos prepares to take a snap during a failed game-winning drive on September 12. It was Wilson’s first game back in Seattle since leaving for Denver after 10 years with the Seahawks. Seattle won 17-16. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb makes a run in the red zone against the Carolina Panthers on September 11 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Chubb had 141 yards on 22 carries in a tight 26-24 win for the Browns. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Soldiers hold the American flag during the national anthem before the first half of the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints on September 11 in Atlanta. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen stiff-arms Los Angeles Rams safety Nick Scott in the third quarter of a massive 31-10 win against the defending Super Bowl champions at SoFi Stadium. The statement victory on NFL Opening Day shows the Bills are serious contenders for the title in 2022. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Detroit Lions fans play catch with running back Jamaal Williams at Ford Field. The Lions fell just short in a late comeback against the Philadelphia Eagles — scoring 14 points in the 4th quarter — to lose 38-35. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. poses for a photo prior to the season opener between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams on September 8. OBJ has flirted with signing with either the Rams or the Bills this season, and although he showed up in Rams colors on the day, he went viral following the Bills’ big win, tweeting , “Sheeesh…. Bills mafia ??????” Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas makes a reception against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell in the second half of their game in Atlanta on September 11. Thomas had two touchdown catches on the day as the Saints outscored the Falcons by 14 in the fourth to win 27-26. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: The best photos from the 2022 NFL season Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields celebrates after the Bears’ 19-10 win against the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field. Fields threw for two touchdowns on a rain-soaked day in Chicago. Hide Caption 15 of 15

“It’s an emotional game,” Brady told reporters afterwards. “A little bit of execution helps all the way around. I thought the defense played well again and the offensive line fought hard.

“It’s a really tough team, really well coached — a team we really struggle with, so it feels good to win.”

“And sorry for breaking that tablet,” he added on later on Twitter . “I think that’s gonna be another Twitter meme or something like that.”

It had been a closely fought game, dominated by both teams’ respective defenses as New Orleans held Brady to 14/24 passing with 142 yards and shut Tampa Bay out until a field goal from Ryan Succop tied the scores at 3-3 late in the third quarter.

But, after the fight and Perriman’s touchdown, momentum swung towards the Bucs.

Breshad Perriman catches Brady’s touchdown pass.

“We lost a good player and they lost a good player. It was a physical ballgame,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said, according to ESPN. “I don’t know if it was a turning point … It could have gone either way. We knew we had to make some plays.”

Although the Saints had several chances late in the game, the Tampa Bay defense held firm, intercepting Winston three times — including the game-sealing pick-six — in the last 12 minutes.

New Orleans secured a touchdown of its own through a Winston pass to Michael Thomas with 1:08 remaining, but it was too late as the Bucs held on to seal their first regular season win over the Saints since September 2018, snapping the seven-game losing streak.

The Bucs remain atop the NFC South with a 2-0 record and will host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

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