Monday Night Football brings us NFC South Division rivals, the Saints and the Buccaneers, as they battle to get some footing in a very close division.
It doesn’t take a lot to get these two teams fired up to play against each other, and with every snap counting on the road to the playoffs, you already know this is going to be one of the great NFL matchups this week.
New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Matchup Info
This game is the second meeting this year after Tampa won the first matchup back in Week 2 on the NFL schedule. This game may be between two teams with losing records but believe it or not.
A lot is riding on this game as the race to win the NFC South is heating up, with every team having 4 or 5 wins. Anyone could win it, including these two teams, as this game will significantly help the winner.
New Orleans Saints Performance Recap and Analysis
The Saints are currently sitting with a 4-8 record, which has them towards the bottom of the NFL team standings.
If you look purely at the NFL team stats sheet, you may miss a sneakily good defense that has been hindered by the performance of its offense.
Of course, the fact that the team is decimated by injuries doesn’t help either side of the ball, with currently 20+ on the NFL injury report.
Saints’ Defense
Despite being beaten up, the Saints’ defense is still managing to find ways to impress. They currently have the 3rd best red-zone defense giving up a touchdown on only 47.06% of trips.
When you add in the fact that they are playing great against the pass, it almost makes you forget how bad the offense is.
This Saints offense is 15th in the league in yards per game at 347.3 yards, 20th in the league in points per game at 20.8, and 31st in offensive turnovers at 1.8 a game. This offense will have to step up big if New Orleans has any hopes of winning the division.
Key Injuries
This receiving core is significantly injured compared to the rest of the team. With Deonte Harty and Michael Thomas already out on the injured reserve, the Saints will look at Jarvis Landry, Rashid Shaheed, and Kevin White, as they are all currently listed as questionable.
Betting Trends to Know
The Saints have notoriously had the Buccaneers number having a 39-22 all-time record against Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Performance Recap and Analysis
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers standings have them on top of the NFC South with a 5-6 record.
The Buccaneers haven’t looked like the dominant powerhouse of recent that fans were expecting coming into the season.
Buccaneers’ Offense
The Buccaneers’ offense is having struggles of its own, as they’re ranked 27th in the league in points per game while being ranked 18th in yards per game.
The team also looks dreadful on 3rd down, converting on only 37.42% of their 3rd down attempts.
Tom Brady is putting up a mixed bag of NFL player stats. While he has put up the 4th most passing yards in the league, with 3,051 and only given up a league-best 2 INTs, he is struggling to find the endzone having only 14 TDs.
The lack of scoring production has him sitting at a 53.9 QBR which is the 18th-best in the league.
It wouldn’t be the most shocking thing in the world for Brady to start lighting it up though many wonder if father time has finally caught up with the 45-year-old.
Key Injuries
With Tristan Wirfs being out and Luke Goedeke as questionable, Tampa will be looking to their other offensive linemen to step up to handle a very impressive New Orleans defensive front.
Betting Trends to Know
The Buccaneers are doing horrible against the spread this year, currently sitting at 3-7-1 on the year so far.
Saints vs. Buccaneers Odds
The current NFL point spreads have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as -4 point favorites, with the Tampa moneyline odds currently being -195, while the New Orleans Saints odds have them at +165 to win.
The oddsmakers don’t see a lot of scoring being done in this one, with the point total being set at 40.5.
New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Picks
- Moneyline
The Tampa defense is absolutely stellar this year, and I don’t foresee an injured Saints offense being able to make much of a dent. I have Tampa winning this one in my Saints vs Buccaneers betting prediction.
NFL Pick: Buccaneers (-190)
- Over/Under
I don’t have this as a high-scoring game in my Saints vs Buccaneers betting prediction.
Neither team is putting up many points this year, and both teams pride themselves the most on their defense. I don’t see either team reaching the red zone but a handful of times.
NFL Pick: Under 40.5 (-110)
- Spread
The Saints always play well against Tampa, and Tampa isn’t covering the spread at all this season. Those two factors combined have the Saints poised to cover the 4-point spread.
NFL Pick: Saints +4 (-110)
New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Score Prediction
My Saints vs Buccaneers betting prediction is that the Buccaneers will win a defensive matchup 17-14, further growing their lead in the NFC South.
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