Buccaneers vs. Saints: Preview, score prediction and more for Week 1

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on division rivals, New Orleans Saints on Sunday in Week 1 of the 2018 season. Preview and prediction for the matchup.

Week 1 of the NFL is finally here. After what felt like years, the NFL is finally back and this week is mostly about division meetings. For the NFC South, it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveling to Mercedes-Benz Superdome to play the NFC South defending champs, New Orleans Saints.

For the Saints, the team will mostly look the same. Most notably, they’ll be without their star running back Mark Ingram. Ingram is sitting on a four-game suspension while second-year man Alvin Kamara will take a majority of the carries. As for the Bucs, they’re without their quarterback, Jameis Winston. Winston is also sitting on suspension for three games, so both teams will look a little different.

As far as the NFC South race goes, there are high hopes for the Saints. The Bucs still have a ways to go after only winning five games last season. However, it’s always a good game when two division rivals go head-to-head. The Saints have an edge on the Bucs but it will come down to Sunday.

Let’s get into what each team needs to seal their victory.

Buccaneers Keys to Victory

Offensively, the Bucs are at disadvantage. Without Winston, they’re saddled with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Ultimately, it will come down to two things for the offense. First, Fitzpatrick needs to connect with Mike Evans. Evans was always Winston’s go-to guy and Fitz should utilize him as much as possible. As for the run game, the Bucs will likely depend on Peyton Barber to take most of the work.

Going up against the Saints offense isn’t easy. For the Bucs defense, their mission should be clearly outlined. They need stop the run and stuff Alvin Kamara as much as they can. If not, he’ll run all over them and it’ll make for a very long game.

Saints Keys to Victory

Looking at the Saints offense, they’re loaded with talent. They do need to keep themselves in check, though. Most notably, it’s going to come down to how they handle Kamara. With Ingram out four games, they will likely rely heavily on Kamara but that’s not the best idea. Don’t bring out the big gun against a division rival who was one of the worst in the NFL last year. The team needs to make sure they let Kamara have a breather and let Drew Brees do his thing.

Defensively, the team does have some new additions. Their focus against the Bucs should be to get the pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitz doesn’t do well under pressure and the Saints need to keep pushing. If they can wear him down, it’s only a matter of time before the game is theirs. The team also might not want to get too comfortable as the Bucs are likely to rely on their run games pretty heavily.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: New Orleans -9.5
Moneyline: New Orleans -440, Tampa Bay +410
Over/Under: 49.5

All Odds courtesy of Odd Shark.

Prediction

The New Orleans Saints are one of the most hyped teams in the NFC. The Bucs are not so the Saints are likely to make quick work of them. Looking at their first meeting last season, the Saints won 30-10. History looks to repeat itself again with the Saints coming out on top. With how hot the Saints are, the Bucs are basically doomed to fail.

Final Score: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17, New Orleans Saints 31