Predicting every game of the 2021 NFL Playoffs

NFC Championship: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5) at New Orleans Saints (2)

Do you remember the last time the Saints played the Buccaneers? Tom Brady threw three interceptions and looked like the aging quarterback so many expected him to be this season. New Orleans won that game by an embarrassing score of 38-3.

I won’t say there’ll be an exact repeat of that outing, but it’ll look oddly similar when we all tune in. The Saints are going to take it to the Buccaneers to prove that they’re the cream of the crop in the NFC, effectively forcing their way to Super Bowl 55.

While New Orleans will obviously thrive, it’s the defense that stars in this one. Brady spends all day throwing off his back foot, leading to at least a couple of turnovers. The running game can’t gain any traction, which forces Brady to continue putting up passes. The end result is a stat line not entirely dissimilar from the aforementioned matchup.

The Buccaneers came so close to having the first home-field advantage in Super Bowl history, but it was not meant to be. New Orleans gets the win and is now headed to Tampa Bay to take on the Bills in what is a rather unexpected showdown between the league’s conference champions.

Prediction: Saints win 33-14