Saints vs Bucs Game Day Thread

SmashMouth · 10-01-2023, 09:59 AM

The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet Sunday for the 63rd time in the regular season – 64th overall – and they will do so for the 43rd time as co-members of the NFC South.

This series has been lopsided in favor of the Black and Gold, but the Bucs have some very significant victories against New Orleans, including the franchise’s first-ever win in 1977 and playoff victory following the 2020 season. In fact, if you scroll down a bit further, you’ll find that Tampa Bay is trying to do something in this series they have never done before.

We also talk about one team’s recent success in October and the other’s failures in the month, along with one team’s success with Sunday’s scheduled referee officiating the game and a few memorable games in the series (and plenty more).

TIME/TV: Sunday at noon at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The game will be broadcast on FOX with an announcing team of former WWL-TV sports anchor Chris Myers and Robert Smith. The WWL radio team is Mike Hoss (also a former WWL-TV sports anchor) and Deuce McAllister.

LINE TREND: The line at Caesars Sportsbook has remained steady at Saints -3 since Monday, although it is tilted toward 3.5 and could rise there before the end of the week. As of Wednesday morning, New Orleans is -120 as a 3-point favorite, while Tampa Bay is even money. The money line also says the spread could be -3.5 very soon, as the Saints are -170 to bet straight up, while the Bucs are at +143. The over/under total is 40.5. What did I pick in this one? Check out my NFL Week 4 picks column, which will be released Thursday morning.

WEATHER FORECAST: Looks like it will be in the upper 80s and sunny outside, but it is always a perfect 70-72 and crisp inside the Caesars Superdome.

UNIFORMS: The Saints will be wearing black jerseys, gold pants and black socks with their traditional gold helmet with the fleur de lis in the middle. The Bucs will be wearing white jerseys and pants with white socks and their regular pewter-colored helmets with the pirate flag in the middle.

REFEREE: Shawn Hochuli is the lead official and has been in that role since 2018. New Orleans is 2-4 all time when he officiates their games, including 0-1 in the playoffs, while Tampa Bay is 5-3 with a 1-0 record in the postseason. This will be the third time Hochuli does a Saints-Bucs game, and Tampa has won both previous contests, including the divisional-round playoff game on Jan. 17, 2021, and last year’s five-turnover game for New Orleans in a 20-10 loss on Sept. 18, 2022.

TEAM INFO, STREAKS
SAINTS (2-1, 1-0 at home)

The Saints are ranked 20th in the NFL in overall offense (yards gained per game) and 25th in points scored. They are 21st in rushing offense and 15th in passing. … The team is ninth in overall defense and sixth in points allowed. They are 10th against the run and eighth against the pass.

New Orleans continued its longest active streak in the NFL for allowing 20 points or fewer in 11 consecutive games, which also is tied for the 80th-longest streak in the history of the NFL. No team in the league this century has accomplished this feat 12 straight times.

If the Saints can hold three more opponents to 20 or fewer in three more straight games, they would move into the top 50 all time. However, they have a long way to go unseat the leader, as the Bears from November 1920 to September 1925 went 74 games without allowing more than 20 points in a single game. No. 2? The Portsmouth Spartans at 63 in the early 1930s. Yeah, we never heard of them, either, but apparently, they were the Detroit Lions before they were the Detroit Lions.

Alvin Kamara returns from his three-game suspension, but if trends are any indicator for what to expect in this one, then we probably shouldn’t expect much. The former All-Pro running back has been average at best against the Buccaneers, going for just 44.5 yards rushing and 45.8 yards receiving per game. He has 10 total touchdowns in 11 regular-season games, and three of those came in a 48-40 loss in September 2018 in the Dome.

For the past 16 years, the Saints have been super successful at home in the month of October. (Wait for it ...) How successful have they been? Well, thanks for asking. They have won 26 of their last 30 games in the Superdome during the month dating back to October 2007. The bad news? Two of those losses have come in the past two seasons – last year in the late giveaway against the Cincinnati Bengals and the season before in overtime against the New York Giants.

BUCCANEERS (2-1, 1-0 on the road)

Tampa Bay is ranked 25th in the NFL in overall offense (yards gained per game) and 19th in points scored. They are 27th in rushing offense and 20th in passing. … They are 22nd in the NFL in overall defense and ninth in points allowed. The Bucs are 12th against the run and 24th against the pass.

The Buccaneers are trying to do something Sunday they have never done in their 47-year history, and that’s beat the Saints for a third consecutive time. As hard as it might be to believe with the teams playing one another 64 times, Tampa Bay’s longest winning streak in the series is just two, which is something they have done eight different times, including sweeping the series last year.

Interestingly, as good as the Saints have been at home in October, the Bucs have been nearly as bad the past six seasons away from The Pirate Ship. They were 3-4 in three seasons with Tom Brady at quarterback on the road during the month, but they had lost six in a row prior to his arrival. The last time the Bucs won on the road in October with a quarterback other than Brady as their starter, Jameis Winston passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns and defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34-17, on Oct. 23, 2016.

Tampa Bay has forced two or more turnovers in their first three games this season. They haven’t opened a season by forcing multiple turnovers in four consecutive games since Raheem Morris was their coach in 2010 against Cleveland, Carolina, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Interestingly, the streak was broken the following week against the Saints in a 31-6 loss.

SAINTS vs. BUCCANEERS SERIES
All-time: The Saints lead the overall series, 39-24, and that includes a divisional-round playoff game in 2020 that was won by Tampa Bay. The Bucs also won the first game ever played between the two, 33-14, on Dec. 11, 1977, in the Superdome, which also was the first victory in team history that broke an NFL record of 26 consecutive losses.

Last meeting: Buccaneers won, 17-16, on (Mon.) Dec. 5, 2022, in Tampa.

All-time in New Orleans: The Saints lead, 21-12, in the regular season and 0-1 in the playoffs. (The Saints lost in a Baton Rouge home game in 2005 that was played away from New Orleans due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.)

All-time in Tampa: The Saints lead, 18-10, including four of the past five.

SERIES BY THE NUMBERS
7: The number of games the Saints had won in a row in the series in the regular season before getting swept by the Bucs in 2022. Coincidentally, New Orleans also had a seven-game winning streak in the series from November 2011 to December 2014. They also have had winning streaks end against Tampa that lasted for three (2002-03), four (1990-94), five (2018-20) and six (1983-88) games.

0: Number of times either team has scored more than 20 points in the past three matchups.

16: Number of times either team had scored more than 20 points in the previous 10 games, including 10 occurrences of a team scoring 30 or more during that stretch.

59: Number of passing touchdowns Drew Brees threw against the Buccaneers in his 15 seasons with the Saints.

39: Number of passing touchdowns Saints quarterbacks other than Brees have thrown in 34 games against the Buccaneers.

1: Teams the Saints have more wins against. New Orleans has 39 total victories against Tampa Bay and 54 against Atlanta, but they have played 45 more games against the Dirty Birds.

MEMORABLE GAMES IN THE SERIES
Dec. 31, 2017 (Bucs 31, Saints 24): Don’t know about y’all, but I have seen a whole lot of Jameis Winston bashing this week. Hmmm, Bucs fans certainly liked him on New Year’s Eve 2017 when he beat Drew Brees and the Saints. In fact, he passed for 363 yards and a TD that day and ran in another touchdown.

Nov. 22, 2009 (Saints 38, Bucs 7): The Black and Gold continued their best ever start to a season – going 10-0 with an easy win at Raymond James Stadium over the one-win Bucs. Interestingly, former LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton scored the opening TD for Tampa Bay, but New Orleans reeled off 38 points in a row from there. Brees passed for only 187 yards, but three of his throws went for touchdowns, while Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell combined to rush for 167 yards and two scores.

Oct. 8, 2006 (Saints 24, Bucs 21): In the first-ever meeting against the Bucs with Brees as Saints quarterback, the team trailed in the fourth quarter until Reggie Bush returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with 4:17 remaining. Bruce Gradkowski got Tampa Bay as far as the New Orleans 46 on the ensuing possession, but Brian Young stopped Cadillac Williams on a screen pass on fourth-and-9, and the Saints held on.

QUARTERBACKS IN THE SERIES
BAKER MAYFIELD vs. NEW ORLEANS

Mayfield has just one career start (last year with Carolina) against the Saints. Here are his numbers:

Sept. 25, 2022 (in Car): W, 22-14. 12-25, 170 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

JAMEIS WINSTON is 1-1 vs. TAMPA BAY

Sept. 18, 2022 (in NO): L, 20-10. 25-40, 236 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT.

Oct. 31, 2021 (in NO): W, 36-27. 6-10 (injured), 56 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.

TOTALS: 31-of-50 (.620 completion percentage), 292 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT.

DEREK CARR is 1-1 vs. TAMPA BAY (all with Raiders)

Join in LIVE CHAT or this Live Gameday Thread...

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: 65143d6e1a4fc.image.jpg
Views: 0
Size: 94.8 KB
ID: 14110

K Major likes this.

10-01-2023, 09:59 AM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,961 Blog Entries: 29	Saints vs Bucs Game Day Thread The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet Sunday for the 63rd time in the regular season – 64th overall – and they will do so for the 43rd time as co-members of the NFC South. This series has been lopsided in favor of the Black and Gold, but the Bucs have some very significant victories against New Orleans, including the franchise’s first-ever win in 1977 and playoff victory following the 2020 season. In fact, if you scroll down a bit further, you’ll find that Tampa Bay is trying to do something in this series they have never done before. We also talk about one team’s recent success in October and the other’s failures in the month, along with one team’s success with Sunday’s scheduled referee officiating the game and a few memorable games in the series (and plenty more). TIME/TV: Sunday at noon at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The game will be broadcast on FOX with an announcing team of former WWL-TV sports anchor Chris Myers and Robert Smith. The WWL radio team is Mike Hoss (also a former WWL-TV sports anchor) and Deuce McAllister. LINE TREND: The line at Caesars Sportsbook has remained steady at Saints -3 since Monday, although it is tilted toward 3.5 and could rise there before the end of the week. As of Wednesday morning, New Orleans is -120 as a 3-point favorite, while Tampa Bay is even money. The money line also says the spread could be -3.5 very soon, as the Saints are -170 to bet straight up, while the Bucs are at +143. The over/under total is 40.5. What did I pick in this one? Check out my NFL Week 4 picks column, which will be released Thursday morning. WEATHER FORECAST: Looks like it will be in the upper 80s and sunny outside, but it is always a perfect 70-72 and crisp inside the Caesars Superdome. UNIFORMS: The Saints will be wearing black jerseys, gold pants and black socks with their traditional gold helmet with the fleur de lis in the middle. The Bucs will be wearing white jerseys and pants with white socks and their regular pewter-colored helmets with the pirate flag in the middle. REFEREE: Shawn Hochuli is the lead official and has been in that role since 2018. New Orleans is 2-4 all time when he officiates their games, including 0-1 in the playoffs, while Tampa Bay is 5-3 with a 1-0 record in the postseason. This will be the third time Hochuli does a Saints-Bucs game, and Tampa has won both previous contests, including the divisional-round playoff game on Jan. 17, 2021, and last year’s five-turnover game for New Orleans in a 20-10 loss on Sept. 18, 2022. TEAM INFO, STREAKS SAINTS (2-1, 1-0 at home) The Saints are ranked 20th in the NFL in overall offense (yards gained per game) and 25th in points scored. They are 21st in rushing offense and 15th in passing. … The team is ninth in overall defense and sixth in points allowed. They are 10th against the run and eighth against the pass. New Orleans continued its longest active streak in the NFL for allowing 20 points or fewer in 11 consecutive games, which also is tied for the 80th-longest streak in the history of the NFL. No team in the league this century has accomplished this feat 12 straight times. If the Saints can hold three more opponents to 20 or fewer in three more straight games, they would move into the top 50 all time. However, they have a long way to go unseat the leader, as the Bears from November 1920 to September 1925 went 74 games without allowing more than 20 points in a single game. No. 2? The Portsmouth Spartans at 63 in the early 1930s. Yeah, we never heard of them, either, but apparently, they were the Detroit Lions before they were the Detroit Lions. Alvin Kamara returns from his three-game suspension, but if trends are any indicator for what to expect in this one, then we probably shouldn’t expect much. The former All-Pro running back has been average at best against the Buccaneers, going for just 44.5 yards rushing and 45.8 yards receiving per game. He has 10 total touchdowns in 11 regular-season games, and three of those came in a 48-40 loss in September 2018 in the Dome. For the past 16 years, the Saints have been super successful at home in the month of October. (Wait for it ...) How successful have they been? Well, thanks for asking. They have won 26 of their last 30 games in the Superdome during the month dating back to October 2007. The bad news? Two of those losses have come in the past two seasons – last year in the late giveaway against the Cincinnati Bengals and the season before in overtime against the New York Giants. BUCCANEERS (2-1, 1-0 on the road) Tampa Bay is ranked 25th in the NFL in overall offense (yards gained per game) and 19th in points scored. They are 27th in rushing offense and 20th in passing. … They are 22nd in the NFL in overall defense and ninth in points allowed. The Bucs are 12th against the run and 24th against the pass. The Buccaneers are trying to do something Sunday they have never done in their 47-year history, and that’s beat the Saints for a third consecutive time. As hard as it might be to believe with the teams playing one another 64 times, Tampa Bay’s longest winning streak in the series is just two, which is something they have done eight different times, including sweeping the series last year. Interestingly, as good as the Saints have been at home in October, the Bucs have been nearly as bad the past six seasons away from The Pirate Ship. They were 3-4 in three seasons with Tom Brady at quarterback on the road during the month, but they had lost six in a row prior to his arrival. The last time the Bucs won on the road in October with a quarterback other than Brady as their starter, Jameis Winston passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns and defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34-17, on Oct. 23, 2016. Tampa Bay has forced two or more turnovers in their first three games this season. They haven’t opened a season by forcing multiple turnovers in four consecutive games since Raheem Morris was their coach in 2010 against Cleveland, Carolina, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Interestingly, the streak was broken the following week against the Saints in a 31-6 loss. SAINTS vs. BUCCANEERS SERIES All-time: The Saints lead the overall series, 39-24, and that includes a divisional-round playoff game in 2020 that was won by Tampa Bay. The Bucs also won the first game ever played between the two, 33-14, on Dec. 11, 1977, in the Superdome, which also was the first victory in team history that broke an NFL record of 26 consecutive losses. Last meeting: Buccaneers won, 17-16, on (Mon.) Dec. 5, 2022, in Tampa. All-time in New Orleans: The Saints lead, 21-12, in the regular season and 0-1 in the playoffs. (The Saints lost in a Baton Rouge home game in 2005 that was played away from New Orleans due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.) All-time in Tampa: The Saints lead, 18-10, including four of the past five. SERIES BY THE NUMBERS 7: The number of games the Saints had won in a row in the series in the regular season before getting swept by the Bucs in 2022. Coincidentally, New Orleans also had a seven-game winning streak in the series from November 2011 to December 2014. They also have had winning streaks end against Tampa that lasted for three (2002-03), four (1990-94), five (2018-20) and six (1983-88) games. 0: Number of times either team has scored more than 20 points in the past three matchups. 16: Number of times either team had scored more than 20 points in the previous 10 games, including 10 occurrences of a team scoring 30 or more during that stretch. 59: Number of passing touchdowns Drew Brees threw against the Buccaneers in his 15 seasons with the Saints. 39: Number of passing touchdowns Saints quarterbacks other than Brees have thrown in 34 games against the Buccaneers. 1: Teams the Saints have more wins against. New Orleans has 39 total victories against Tampa Bay and 54 against Atlanta, but they have played 45 more games against the Dirty Birds. MEMORABLE GAMES IN THE SERIES Dec. 31, 2017 (Bucs 31, Saints 24): Don’t know about y’all, but I have seen a whole lot of Jameis Winston bashing this week. Hmmm, Bucs fans certainly liked him on New Year’s Eve 2017 when he beat Drew Brees and the Saints. In fact, he passed for 363 yards and a TD that day and ran in another touchdown. Nov. 22, 2009 (Saints 38, Bucs 7): The Black and Gold continued their best ever start to a season – going 10-0 with an easy win at Raymond James Stadium over the one-win Bucs. Interestingly, former LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton scored the opening TD for Tampa Bay, but New Orleans reeled off 38 points in a row from there. Brees passed for only 187 yards, but three of his throws went for touchdowns, while Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell combined to rush for 167 yards and two scores. Oct. 8, 2006 (Saints 24, Bucs 21): In the first-ever meeting against the Bucs with Brees as Saints quarterback, the team trailed in the fourth quarter until Reggie Bush returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with 4:17 remaining. Bruce Gradkowski got Tampa Bay as far as the New Orleans 46 on the ensuing possession, but Brian Young stopped Cadillac Williams on a screen pass on fourth-and-9, and the Saints held on. QUARTERBACKS IN THE SERIES BAKER MAYFIELD vs. NEW ORLEANS Mayfield has just one career start (last year with Carolina) against the Saints. Here are his numbers: Sept. 25, 2022 (in Car): W, 22-14. 12-25, 170 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT JAMEIS WINSTON is 1-1 vs. TAMPA BAY Sept. 18, 2022 (in NO): L, 20-10. 25-40, 236 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT. Oct. 31, 2021 (in NO): W, 36-27. 6-10 (injured), 56 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT. TOTALS: 31-of-50 (.620 completion percentage), 292 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT. DEREK CARR is 1-1 vs. TAMPA BAY (all with Raiders) Twitter Join in LIVE CHAT or this Live Gameday Thread... Attached Thumbnails K Major likes this.