The Saints (7-2) and the Buccaneers (3-6) square-off for an AFC South showdown Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. New Orleans won the first meeting between the two teams, 31-24, back in Week 5. The teams have split the season series the last four years.
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Saints vs. Buccaneers
When: Sunday, November 17
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Even the best teams in the league lose a game from time to time that makes you scratch your head. New Orleans lost 26-9 last weekend against an Atlanta Falcons squad that had just one winning going into the game. Drew Brees completed 32 of 45 passes for 287 yards. His favorite target Michael Thomas had another 100+ yard game with 13 catches for 153 yards. Thomas is the only wide receiver over 1,000 yards this season, with his league-leading 1,027. The Saints only managed 52 rushing yards in the loss.
While Drew Brees and Michael Thomas are the keys that make the offense run, the defense has been one of the best in the league this season as well. The Saints rank fifth in total defense with opponents averaging 316.6 YPG. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns in the win, while the team racked up 143 yards rushing. Demario Davis led the Saints with 11 tackles and one sack. Marcus Williams added seven tackles and an interception on the game. Yet, defensive penalties proved to be costly, as they racked up 12 flags for 90 yards. This unit will need to be more disciplined against a Buccaneers offense that is averaging 28.9 points per game.
Tampa Bay’s offense has been one of the best, but it has to be consistent, and most importantly they can’t turn the ball over. The Buccaneers returned home after a whirlwind road trip and defeated Bruce Arian’s former team, the Arizona Cardinals, 30-27 in a game that came down to the wire. Jameis Winston completed 30 of 48 passes for 358 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Winston is third in the league with 2,765 yards passing and is blessed to have arguably the best 1-2 receiver tandem in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who have 924 and 840 yards, respectively. Evans was completely taken out of the equation by the Saints defense in the team’s first meeting. The Bucs need to use the ground attack to set up play-action and control the clock.
Defensively, it’s obvious what the Saints do best and that is air the ball out. With a future Hall of Fame quarterback under center in Brees and the top wide receiver in the NFL as a weapon, they can be hard to stop, but the Falcons proved it can be done. Tampa Bay boasts one of the best defensive fronts in the league and the top-ranked rushing defense. Shaq Barrett is tied for the league lead in sacks and will need to pressure Brees, just like Atlanta did, putting him on his back six times. The team recently cut Vernon Hargreaves. MJ Stewart (knee) and Carlton Davis (hip) will be sidelined for the game. Tampa’s allowed an average of 299 yards passing and have given up a league-high 31 points per game this season. How does the secondary hold up against the Saints passing attack? That will be the key to this game.
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