Tag: Bucs Saints

FOX Bet releases its line for Week 1’s Bucs-Saints game

See what the early line for the Bucs-Saints Week 1 opener is, according to FOX Bet.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hoping Tom Brady can bring his winning ways to Florida this season and help return the forlorn franchise back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

But the road to Super Bowl LV in Tampa won’t be an easy one for Brady and the Bucs. They’ll play five quarterbacks this season who have played in a Super Bowl, starting with their Week 1 opener against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

Brady facing Brees on the road in Week 1 may put an end to an impressive streak for the six-time Super Bowl champion, who will likely open as an underdog for the first time in ages.

FOX Bet released their Week 1 lines, and as expected, the Bucs are underdogs at +4.

The line for Brady’s new team isn’t too surprising. What is a bit of a stunner is the fact that his old team, the Patriots are -6.5 point favorites at home to the Dolphins. Miami has made big upgrades this offseason, including at quarterback with the drafting of Tua Tagovailoa. Plus, Miami beat the Patriots in Gillette Stadium in Week 17 last season, dropping the Patriots to the third seed in the playoffs.

I would definitely go with Miami in Week 1, but as for the Bucs, I’d wait and see how they perform in Week 1 before putting any money on them with confidence.

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Bucs opening the season at Saints puts this Tom Brady streak in jeopardy

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set to open their season on the road against the Saints, this impressive Tom Brady streak may come to an end.

The Buccaneers found out their schedule for 2020 last night, and the Tom Brady era in Tampa Bay isn’t going to start off easy as the Bucs open the season at the Saints, pitting Brady against New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees.

The NFL couldn’t have asked for a better scenario than Brady joining the same division as Brees this offseason, and while the game itself will likely be the most talked about leading up to Week 1, the Bucs opening on the road in the Superdome could very well end this impressive Tom Brady streak in the process.

Per ESPN:

“Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened as 6.5-point underdogs in their Week 1 road game against the New Orleans Saints, according to Caesars Sportsbook. Brady has been favored in his past 74 regular-season starts. It’s the longest such streak in the Super Bowl era, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and it appears to be in jeopardy.”

That line could move between now and Week 1, but barring injury to Brees, I don’t see any way the Bucs enter the game as favorites. Brady may find out the hard way that the NFC South is nothing like the AFC East.

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Saints-Bucs: Buccaneers list seven inactives for Week 11

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have listed seven players as inactive for today’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the New Orleans Saints today in Week 11, looking to build off the momentum of last week’s big win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Despite being just 3-6, the Bucs aren’t completely out of the playoff race just yet. If they can pull off the surprising upset today against the Saints, they could make a serious run down the stretch.

As you can see from the above tweet, the Bucs will be without two pass rushers today in Carl Nassib and Anthony Nelson. Saints quarterback Drew Brees will likely look to take advantage of a Bucs secondary that ranks dead last in the league.

Meanwhile, Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans could make history today against New Orleans. Evans is just 76 yards away from another 1,000-yard season. It would be the sixth-straight to begin his career, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most in NFL history.

Evans was held without a reception in Week 5’s loss to the Saints, but New Orleans will be without cornerback Marshon Lattimore today, so the Pro Bowl receiver could have a monster game at home.

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3 bold predictions for Week 11’s game between the Saints and Buccaneers

Find out what you should be on the lookout for during Sunday’s Week 11 showdown between the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The New Orleans Saints visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday looking for redemption after dropping a game at home to the lowly Atlanta Falcons in Week 10.

At 7-2, New Orleans is right near the top of the NFC playoff seeding, meaning a loss to the 3-6 Buccaneers would further dampen their pursuit of the top spot.

The Bucs are looking for redemption of their own, however. Their loss in Week 5 to the Saints started the Bucs on a four-game losing streak, which only ended with last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Ever the enigma, the Buccaneers find themselves as underdogs at home for the first time all season. But remember, this offense can put up points and fast. Tampa Bay has the league’s third-best scoring offense, averaging 28.9 points per game.

And, as the Falcons showed in last week’s upset of New Orleans, you shouldn’t give much credence to overall records when it comes to a game between divisional opponents. The sense of familiarity and the ingrained rivalry usually makes it an even matchup (unless you’re an AFC East team playing the New England Patriots).

I think the Bucs will upset the Saints in a high-scoring game that will mark the signature win of the season for Tampa Bay.

Here are three other bold predictions for Sunday’s matchup.

Bucs secondary gets to Brees

Let’s face it — the best way to beat the Buccaneers defense is to attack their secondary. Tampa Bay’s pass defense is last in the NFL and they lost their seasoned veteran this week when they cut cornerback and former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves. New Orleans knows the Bucs rush defense is a near-impenetrable wall, so expect Brees to go to the air early and often. I think he’ll throw the ball at least 50 times, forcing it in some cases. The Bucs will intercept the future Hall of Fame quarterback three times.

Winston has zero turnovers

This is like predicting Jay Cutler having an interception-free game. It’s risky. Winston has 14 interceptions on the season and seems to turn the ball over at the worst times. I think offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich will look to establish the run early with Ronald Jones and ease Winston into things. You have to play mistake-free football against a team like New Orleans in order to win. I think Winston gets 300 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns with zero turnovers.

Jonesing for a 100-yard game

Running back Ronald Jones has had a huge bounce-back season after a disappointing rookie campaign last year. The new starter for the Bucs has looked great the past two weeks, scoring touchdowns in both games. Everyone is waiting — especially fantasy owners — for Jones to have that breakout game, though. He’s flirted with 100-yard rushing games before, but has yet to eclipse the mark over his two-year career. What better time than Sunday to do it?

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NFL Network analyst James Jones makes a shocking prediction for the Saints-Bucs game

See what NFL Network analyst James Jones foresees happening in Sunday’s Week 11 matchup between the Saints and Buccaneers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers halted their four-game losing streak last Sunday by taking down the Arizona Cardinals, but didn’t have time to celebrate long.

With their season still on life support at 3-6, the Buccaneers will now face the challenge of trying to take down the New Orleans Saints, who sit atop the NFC South at 7-2.

The Saints are coming off a stunning home loss in Week 10 to the Atlanta Falcons, which dropped them to 7-2, meaning they still sit behind the San Francisco 49ers (8-1) in the race for the top spot in the NFC. A Drew Brees-led offense playing in desperation mode can only spell bad news for the Buccaneers, who have the league’s worst pass defense.

While New Orleans is rightfully favored heading into Sunday’s matchup at Raymond James Stadium, NFL Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver James Jones thinks the Bucs will actually shock the Saints and pull off the upset.

Here’s what Jones had to say:

“After scoring a measly nine points in a loss to the Falcons last week, will Drew Brees and the Saints turn things around against the Bucs’ 32nd-ranked scoring defense? No! The Saints don’t find their rhythm, but Jameis Winston does. The Bucs quarterback continues to prove why he should get paid by throwing four TD passes in the win.”

That’s a bold prediction for sure and one that could come to fruition. There’s no doubt that this Bucs offense can hang with anybody. In their Week 9 loss to the Seahawks, they matched Seattle score-for-score down the stretch, forcing overtime.

But Winston is the unknown in this equation. He can throw you four touchdowns any day of the week. The question, though, is how many interceptions does he throw? And, how many points off turnovers come out of it?

Turnovers have plagued Winston throughout his career. If he can string together a solid, turnover-free performance on Sunday, the Buccaneers could very well play spoiler to the Saints.

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Mike Evans looking for bounce-back performance against Saints in Week 11

Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans has a shot at making history in Week 11, but will need to exorcise some demons from Week 5’s loss to Saints.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has 924 receiving yards through the first 10 weeks, meaning he’s just 76 away from another 1,000-yard season.

Hitting that mark would make Evans one of only two wide receivers in NFL history — the other being Hall of Famer Randy Moss — to have six-straight 1,000-yard seasons to start their careers.

It seems like almost a given that Evans will get 76 yards on Sunday, especially when you consider the fact that he’s averaged 139.0 yards per game over the team’s last four games.

But, you may want to pump the brakes on the celebratory confetti for now, especially when you consider that Week 11’s opponent is the New Orleans Saints.

When these two teams last met back in Week 5, not only did New Orleans hand the Bucs the first of four-straight losses, but Evans was held without a reception for just the second time in his career.

The only other time it happened?

Week 2 of the 2015 season against — you guessed it — the Saints.

The good news for Evans is that both those performances came in New Orleans. Sunday’s game will be played in the friendly confines of Raymond James Stadium.

Evans has been a tear in the four games since laying that goose egg on the stat sheet. Sunday’s game will be his chance at both redemption and history.

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Saints-Bucs Injury Report (Nov. 14): G Ali Marpet is a full participant

Check out the latest injury report for both the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of Week 11’s showdown.

After halting their four-game losing-streak by beating the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now ready to exact revenge on the New Orleans Saints in Week 11.

The Saints, who are coming off a shocking loss to the Atlanta Falcons, picked the Bucs’ secondary apart back in Week 5 and started the Bucs on their four-game skid.

With Drew Brees now back in the lineup, the task of taking down one of the best teams in the NFC becomes even more difficult for the Bucs. Hopefully, they’ll get some of the guys listed below back in time for Sunday’s game.

Here’s the latest injury report for both teams.

Buccaneers

CB Carlton Davis (hip) – Limited Participation

T Demar Dotson (not injury related) – Full Participation

G Ali Marpet (ankle) – Full Participation

OLB Carl Nassib (groin) – Limited Participation

OLB Anthony Nelson (hamstring) – Did Not Participate

CB M.J. Stewart (knee) – Did Not Participate

Saints

LB Demario Davis (hamstring) – Limited Participation

WR Deonte Harris (hamstring) – Did Not Participate

CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) – Did Not Participate

FB Zach Line (knee) – Limited Participation

G Andrus Peat (forearm) – Did Not Participate

CB Patrick Robinson (hamstring) – Full Participation

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Saints-Bucs Injury Report (Nov. 13): Four Buccaneers sidelined

Take a look at the latest injury report for both the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of Week 11’s matchup.

The Buccaneers’ loss in Week 5 to the New Orleans Saints started Tampa Bay on a four-game losing streak that only ended with last Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, the Saints come to town for a rematch with the Bucs in Week 11, and would love nothing more than to put Tampa Bay back on the losing path. Plus, New Orleans has added motivation entering this game. They have ground to make up in the NFC playoff race after a stunning home loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10. Atlanta entered that game just 1-7.

Tampa Bay’s defense will have to deal with Saints quarterback Drew Brees for the first time this season. Brees missed Week 5’s contest with a thumb injury.

Fortunately, for Saints fans at least, Brees didn’t appear on the team’s injury report from yesterday.

Buccaneers

CB Carlton Davis (hip) – Did Not Participate

T Demar Dotson (not injury related) – Did Not Participate

G Ali Marpet (ankle) – Limited Participation

OLB Carl Nassib (groin) – Limited Participation

OLB Anthony Nelson (hamstring) – Did Not Participate

CB M.J. Stewart (knee) – Did Not Participate

Saints

LB Demario Davis (hamstring) – Limited Participation

WR Deonte Harris (hamstring) – Did Not Participate

CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) – Did Not Participate

FB Zach Line (knee) – Limited Participation

G Andrus Peat (forearm) – Did Not Participate

CB Patrick Robinson (hamstring) – Full Participation

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Bucs underdogs at home in Week 11 for the first time all season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the New Orleans Saints in Week 11 as home underdogs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a big Week 10 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Not only did it stop Tampa Bay’s four-game losing-streak, but it was also the team’s first game at Raymond James Stadium since Week 3.

A grueling 1-4 road stretch had the team at 2-6 before Sunday’s big win. But, if the Bucs want to continue to climb back to .500, they’ll have to take down Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints next Sunday.

New Orleans is coming off a stunning 26-9 home loss in Week 10 to the Atlanta Falcons, and the risk of falling further behind in the NFC playoff picture will have them playing in desperation mode against the Bucs.

Sportsbooks like New Orleans in this one as the Saints have opened up as -5.5 point favorites. It’s the first time the Bucs have been underdogs at Raymond James all season.

Remember, though, Week 5’s loss to the Saints was the start of the Bucs’ four-game skid, so revenge is very much on the mind of this team. I wouldn’t be surprised if this line moves before the game in favor of Tampa Bay.

As the Atlanta Falcons proved, when playing a familiar division foe, records mean nothing.

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

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