Will this Sunday have another nail-biting outcome for the New Orleans Saints against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Let’s look at the odds and predictions for this NFL contest.
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Buccaneers vs. Saints Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Saints -3.5
- Moneyline: Buccaneers (+136); Saints (-162)
- Over/Under: 40.5
- Game time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Caesars Superdome
- Channel: FOX
Buccaneers vs. Saints Prediction
The Buccaneers and Saints, along with the Atlanta Falcons, appear to be set to battle all season to become the winners of the NFC South Division championship. Every game figures to be important, and every divisional matchup between these three should be a tight contest.
Our first matchup in this round-robin event is Tampa Bay against New Orleans. And there really isn’t a reason to think anything but a tight ballgame is set to happen.
Never mind that the last time these two teams met last December, the Buccaneers, behind more Tom Brady heroics, stunned the Saints with two touchdowns in the final two minutes — including the game-winning TD with three seconds left.
Tight games have been the norm for the Saints this season. All three games for New Orleans have been decided by a field goal or less. In addition, of the six games the Saints played last season against the NFC South opponents, five were decided by single digits.
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The defense has been the biggest key for the Saints. They rank top 10 in the NFL in both total defense (ninth) and scoring defense (sixth). They are also the only team in the NFL that has held each of their first three opponents under 20 points.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is licking its wounds, after a beatdown at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, 25-11. The Bucs scored just 11 points and were held well under 200 total yards (172).
Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was solid in Tampa Bay’s first two games of the season, struggled Monday, throwing for only 146 yards, getting picked off for the first time this season and getting sacked twice.
Given the way the Saints have played defense thus far, it’s difficult to imagine the Buccaneers coming into New Orleans and keeping this game close.
The bad news for the Saints is the health status of quarterback Derek Carr, who suffered a shoulder injury in last week’s loss. The good news for the Saints is the return of Alvin Kamara, who comes back after a three-game absence due to a suspension.
This game has significance beyond just a divisional matchup. For the Buccaneers, it is their final game before they get an early bye week in Week 5. For the Saints, it’s their last game before they embark on a rough stretch in which they will play five of the seven games on the road. This will also be New Orleans’ finals divisional game until after Thanksgiving.
In the history of this rivalry, which dates back to 1977, the Buccaneers have won two straight over the Saints on eight different occasions, including their current two-game winning streak over New Orleans.
Tampa Bay has never won three in a row in this series.
That will not change here. Take the Saints in a game that finally gets decided by more than a field goal.
Best Bet: Saints -3.5 (-105 at DraftKings SportsBook)