NFL expert picks seriously split on the Saints for the first time this season

NFL experts picks are close to an even 50/50 split on the New Orleans Saints for their Divisional Round playoff game with the Buccaneers.

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Is the third time the charm? The New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handily — twice — this season, but NFL experts appear to be throwing out those results to treat this latest rematch as a toss-up.

Per NFL Pickwatch, just 56% of experts are picking the Saints to win, while a whopping 44% are siding with the Buccaneers. That’s the closest thing to an even 50/50 split since Week 3’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers, when the picks went the other way — 65% of those surveyed liked Green Bay to win, and the Packers did end up with a victory.

But the Saints faced their largest margin of experts picking against them in Week 9’s game with this same Buccaneers team, when only 15% of the talking heads and national writers called for a New Orleans upset. Of course, the Saints won that game 38-3, and they’ll be hoping for a similar result on Sunday to advance deeper into the postseason.

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