Our New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers prediction takes a look at the Week 13 matchup that features a strong NFC South rivalry.
Let’s take a look at the current sports betting odds, key storylines to watch, and make a prediction for the game. Note that all odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Tuesday, Nov. 29.
Saints vs. Buccaneers Odds
- Spread
Buccaneers -3.5 - Moneyline
Buccaneers -190, Saints +160 - Over/Under
39.5 points
Saints vs. Buccaneers Prediction
New Orleans enters this matchup against their division rival with a 4-8 record and currently sit at the bottom of the NFC South. There certainly have been some rough patches for this Saints team over the course of this season, and this game could go a long way to determining their momentum for the remainder of the year.
It’s hard to find the bright spots to point out for this team though, coming off of a zero-point performance in Week 12. Yes, the 49ers’ defense is one of the toughest matchups in the entire league, but it doesn’t exactly get a whole lot easier this week against a Bucs’ defense that’s allowing the seventh-fewest points per game.
Andy Dalton and the passing game is going to have to step up in a major way for the Saints to walk out of this one with a win and keep any hopes of making the playoffs alive.
The key to winning this matchup for New Orleans though rests on getting the ground game back and functioning. In Week 12, Dalton led the Saints in rushing yards with just 21. That’s not going to lead to victories in today’s NFL.
Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, and Mark Ingram all averaged under three yards per attempt and will need to be more effective this week. The problem there is that Tampa remains a stout unit up front that has the players on the defensive line to shut this Saints rushing attack down.
MORE: Commanders vs. Giants Prediction, Odds, and Pick for Week 13
On the other side of the ball, Tampa Bay’s coming off of a difficult overtime loss to the Cleveland Browns, but they still sit atop the NFC South with a 5-6 record. This has to be viewed as a must-win game for the Bucs, even though they remain in control of the division and their own destiny.
Tampa’s offense has shown some signs of life here recently, particularly in the run game. Rachaad White has provided an incredibly necessary spark for this team to take some pressure off of Tom Brady and the passing attack, and that will need to continue here this week.
New Orleans has historically been a tough run defense to face, but they’ve fallen off in recent weeks. Over the last three games, the Saints are allowing the seventh-most rushing yards in the NFL. Committing to the run game could be a big part of Tampa Bay getting back to a .500 record after this week.
The key to winning this matchup, however, rests on Brady’s shoulders. The Saints have historically kept Brady and this passing game in check during his tenure with Tampa Bay, but the Bucs will need more from him this week to pull off the victory.
Brady had just a 52% completion rate, only 190 passing yards, and just one touchdown when these two teams faced off in Week 2 earlier this year. Will that be enough to go 2-0 against their division foe this season?
Saints vs. Buccaneers Prediction
Bucs 20, Saints 17
