The Week 9 edition of Sunday Night Football will see the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle it out tonight for first place in the NFC South. Here is the Sunday Night Football schedule with information on where, when, and how you can watch the game, as well as a preview and prediction of the highly-anticipated matchup.
Week 9 NFL Power Rankings
Before we get started, Pro Football Network’s Senior NFL Analyst Matt Williamson (Former NFL Scout and ESPN Analyst) released his Week 9 Power Rankings following the games on Monday Night Football in Week 8. This week, Williamson has the Saints sitting sixth in the NFL behind Drew Brees and an offense that’s been strong even without superstar receiver Michael Thomas. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers sit third with Tom Brady, leading one of the NFL’s best offenses and Todd Bowles’ coaching a surprisingly strong defense.
Who plays on Sunday Night Football tonight?
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Game: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Location: Tampa, Florida at Raymond James stadium
How to watch Sunday Night Football tonight, Week 9 | Start Time, TV Channel, and Live Stream
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Date: Sunday, November 8th
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NFL Sunday Night Football Start Time, Week 9: 8:20 PM ET
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Channel: NBC
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Live Stream: NFL App
Weather Report
Due to this game being on Sunday night and more towards the middle of the state on the Gulf side, the Tampa area will see more of an impact than Jacksonville but nowhere near to what Miami will see in the coming days.
As temperatures fall to around 74-degrees at kickoff, our NFL weather report is looking at the rising chances of wind and rain. Sustained wind speeds will be between 20-23 MPH, and gusts could reach nearly 30 MPH before the final whistle blows. This will likely have an effect on the passing and kicking game for both the Saints and Buccaneers. There is also a 50% chance of rain, but like Jacksonville, nothing too severe is currently expected. It all comes down to timing and, if anything, the current track of Eta changes.
Saints vs. Buccaneers Game Preview
Fans around the league have been calling out Drew Brees all season. The veteran quarterback is being mocked for his lack of arm strength and struggles when throwing the deep ball. Many fans believe the future Hall of Famer is on his last legs. However, that hasn’t stopped the Saints from being a powerhouse in the NFC. Sitting at 5-2 with an offense that ranks 10th in yards per game and seventh in points per game, it’s clear that Brees still has some gas left in the tank.
A lot of their success should ultimately fall on Brees, who at 41, is up to 13 TD passes in his seven 2020 games with the Saints.
Even without superstar wide receiver Michael Thomas, who’s a game-time decision for tonight’s Sunday Night Football matchup, the Saints are a threat. Alvin Kamara is arguably the best running back in the league, and the Saints offensive line gives Brees all day to throw the ball.
But what makes them truly dangerous is their defense. Currently ranked eighth in total yards per game, they’re much better than their 28.1 points per game would suggest. If the Buccaneers aren’t careful, they could get caught up in the Saints flow and give fans a repeat of their Week 1 showing, which the Saints won 34-23.
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For the Buccaneers to avoid that fate on Sunday Night Football tonight, they’re going to need more from their defense. Todd Bowles has them playing well, ranking third in NFL in total yards per game and seventh in points per game. If they’re going to have any hope of slowing down the Saints offense, they’re going to need to generate a pass rush. In their Week 1 matchup, Brees was sacked just once. Star edge rusher Shaq Barrett didn’t have a single sack or QB hit. That’s not going to work against a quarterback like Brees.
On offense, the Buccaneers are going to need more from Mike Evans. In their Week 1 matchup, Evans had just one catch for two yards. The Buccaneers won’t be able to succeed in this game without their number one receiver. They’ll also be looking for more production from their tight ends. Rob Gronkowski and OJ Howard combined for five receptions for 50 yards in Week 1. Gronkowski has shown he has the potential to be the game-breaker he was before he retired; look for Brady to try and get him more involved this time around.
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Getting Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown on the field will also help spread the Saints’ attention. Between Godwin, Evans, Brown, and Gronkowski, the Buccaneers have weapons all over the field. That combination will be tough for the Saints to cover, and even if they do manage it, they still have a fifth weapon to worry about, be that a running back, second tight end Cameron Brate, or fourth receiver Scotty Miller.
One has to wonder what kind of production we can expect from Brown in his first game back in over a year. If he is able to rekindle the kind of connection he seemed to have with Brady in New England, he could have quite an impact on this Buccaneers offense. According to reports, Brown has actually been staying with Brady while he gets acclimated to living in Florida. That might be enough for these two to already be on the same wavelength.
The Buccaneers should have quite a bit of firepower at home in this Week 9 Sunday Night Football clash.
Sunday Night Football Tonight Score Prediction: Buccaneers win 28-24
Full 2020 Sunday Night Football Schedule
Here is the full SNF schedule for the remainder of the 2020 NFL season. All Sunday night games begin at 8:20 PM ET. All games will be aired live on NBC. You can also live stream the games from your NFL app.
Sunday Night Football: September Schedule
- Sunday, September 13: Cowboys at Rams
- Sunday, September 20: Patriots at Seahawks
- Sunday, September 27: Packers at Saints
Sunday Night Football: October Schedule
- Sunday, October 4: Eagles at 49ers
- Sunday, October 11: Vikings at Seahawks
- Sunday, October 18: Rams at 49ers
- Sunday, October 25: Seahawks at Cardinals
Sunday Night Football: November Schedule
- Sunday, November 1: Cowboys at Eagles
- Sunday, November 8: Saints at Buccaneers
- Sunday, November 15: Ravens at Patriots
- Sunday, November 22: Chiefs at Raiders
- Sunday, November 29: Bears at Packers