New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup Preview (12/19/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup Preview (12/19/21)

Since he arrived in Tampa Bay, the Saints have had Tom Brady’s number, and they’ve beaten the Buccaneers in all three of their regular-season matchups with Brady in tow. The Bucs got their revenge in the playoffs on their way to the Super Bowl last year, but they have the opportunity to clinch the NFC South with a win or a tie on Sunday and are in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the conference. The Saints ended their five-game losing skid last week with a win over the hapless Jets, but the injuries are piling up for New Orleans, and they’ll have a tough time competing in this game.

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Odds

The Trends

• Saints are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games against the Buccaneers
• Saints are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games against a team with a winning record
• Buccaneers 13-3-2 ATS in their last 18 games in December
• Buccaneers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games at home
• Under is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings in Tampa Bay

The Prediction

The Buccaneers have been rounding into form lately, and this could become a huge statement game for Tom Brady in several ways. I expect him to get revenge over his top divisional rival and expose their underperforming pass defense with a passing stat line that will put him firmly in pole position to win the MVP award this season. Taysom Hill will likely have a decent fantasy finish. Still, the Saints don’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Buccaneers in this game, and I have a hard time seeing how they cover even a sizable spread with Tampa having everything to play for.

My predictions: Buccaneers win 34-20, Buccaneers cover, over 46.5 points

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 19th
Time: 8:20 PM ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium – Tampa Bay, FL
TV Coverage: NBC

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Live Stream

Where can you watch Saints vs. Buccaneers online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Saints vs. Buccaneers Free Online Now.

Injuries

New Orleans Saints: OT Terron Armstead (knee) Q, OT Ryan Ramczyk, LB Pete Werner (elbow) Q, CB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (toe) Q, WR Lil-Jordan Humphrey (hamstring) Q, DE Cameron Jordan (illness) IR/COVID-19, RB Mark Ingram (illness) IR/COVID-19, WR Ty Montgomery (illness) IR/COVID-19

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CB Jamel Dean (illness) Q, CB Richard Sherman (Achilles) Q, RB Leonard Fournette (ankle) Q, S Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) Q, S Jordan Whitehead (calf) Q, RB Giovani Bernard (hip) IR

New Orleans Saints Analysis

Taysom Hill has just a 3-3 record as the Saints’ starting quarterback this season. Still, his rushing ability gives the team more unpredictability than the vanilla schemes they were running with Trevor Siemian. Hill has averaged 87 rushing yards per game over his last two outings, and now that Alvin Kamara is healthy, the Saints have a reasonably dynamic rushing offense. Tampa Bay hasn’t had its typically elite rushing defense as it ranks 17th in rush-defense DVOA, but it has allowed the third-fewest rushing yards per game. The game script will also not help the Saints establish their ground game in this contest. Deonte Harris, Marquez Callaway, and Tre’Quan Smith round out an excellent receiving corps. Still, this offense is desperately missing the dominant presence of Michael Thomas, and I don’t expect Hill to have an outstanding passing performance against a rapidly improving Tampa pass defense, especially with Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk potentially out this week.

Defensively, the Saints have been elite against the run – they lead the league in rush defense DVOA and allow just 3.7 YPC, the lowest clip in the NFL. Leonard Fournette, who has been surprisingly consistent this season, was held to just eight carries for 26 yards the last time these teams played. However, New Orleans ranks middle of the pack in most major pass defense metrics, and they have allowed 244.5 passing yards per game, the 13th-most in the NFL. Outside of Marshon Lattimore, the Saints have struggled to find consistent cornerback play, and that situation won’t be remedied by Chauncey Gardner-Johnson potentially being out this week. Rookie Paulson Adebo has been thrust into starting duty and burned repeatedly. The Saints’ pass rush has improved throughout the season, but they could be without Cameron Jordan as he’s on the COVID-19 IR, and this would have already been a difficult matchup against an elite offensive line.

New Orleans Saints Depth Chart

QB: Taysom Hill
RB1: Alvin Kamara
RB2: Mark Ingram II
WR1: Deonte Harris
WR2: Tre’Quan Smith
WR3: Marquez Callaway
TE1: Juwan Johnson
TE2: Nick Vannett

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It’s been an incredible season for Tom Brady, the current favorite for MVP, and it’s been fun to watch him continue to be at the peak of his powers as he defies Father Time at the ripe age of 44 years old. Brady is currently on pace for 5,406 passing yards and 47 touchdowns, and he leads the NFL in both categories. Of course, he has the added benefit of the 17th game, but he’s on pace for a career-high in passing yards and the second-most passing touchdowns he’s had in a season. Antonio Brown has been out for weeks now, but Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are in the midst of monstrous seasons. Godwin is on pace for 120 catches for 1,377 yards and seven touchdowns, while Evans is on pace for 82 catches for 1,156 yards and 14 touchdowns. Leonard Fournette is also having a breakthrough season, the best of his career, and is on pace for over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns. This offense has overwhelmed even the best defenses this season.

Tampa’s defense has gradually gotten healthier as the season has gone on, with cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Carlton Davis returning to the lineup recently. However, Jamel Dean is now on the injury report heading into this game, as is elite safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Still, Tampa has found a way to field an elite pass defense thanks to standout performances players stepping into more prominent roles such as Ross Cockrell, Pierre Desir, and Mike Edwards. Despite all of the injuries they’ve dealt with, Tampa still ranks fifth in the NFL in pass-defense DVOA and should get better as the season goes on. Surprisingly, it’s been Tampa’s run defense that hasn’t entirely held up its end of the bargain as the Buccaneers rank 17th in run-defense DVOA. The linebacker duo of Devin White and Lavonte David took a step back from its elite play last season, while Ndomakung Suh isn’t quite the same player anymore as he nears the age of 35.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart

QB: Tom Brady
RB1: Leonard Fournette
RB2: Ronald Jones II
WR1: Mike Evans
WR2: Chris Godwin
WR3: Breshad Perriman
TE1: Rob Gronkowski
TE2: Cameron Brate

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Daily Fantasy Picks

I like the over in this game which should present plenty of opportunity for fantasy value on both sides of the football. Tampa Bay allows the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, making Taysom Hill an attractive target, especially if you are playing in a captain mode setting were capitalizing on lower owned players makes a huge difference. Alvin Kamara is an excellent target for your captain spot. He has scored 16+ PPR points in every career matchup against Tampa and is often the entire Saints’ offense without many other reliable skill position players.

On the Tampa side, Tom Brady could be in for an all-time night, and that makes him a solid target despite the heavy DFS ownership he is sure to carry. Suppose you’re looking to pair him with one of his receivers. In that case, Chris Godwin is my preferred target in PPR settings, especially with Mike Evans likely drawing the tougher matchup against Marshon Lattimore. Leonard Fournette may have only scored 7 PPR points against the Saints earlier this season, but he will likely be ignored in DFS and has become a considerable part of the Tampa offense.