The Buccaneers are 3.5-point home favorites in this battle of NFC South rivals.
The New Orleans Saints (4-8) head to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (5-6) for an NFC rivalry game on Monday Night Football.
Here are the latest odds for this game at SI Sportsbook:
- Moneyline: Saints (+155) | Buccaneers (-188)
- Spread: Saints +3.5 (-110) | Buccaneers -3.5 (-110)
- Total: 40.5 Over (-110) | Under (-110)
The Buccaneers lead the NFC South despite owning a losing record, and the NFC South is the only division that does not have a single team with a winning record.
Offensively, neither team has been lighting up the scoreboard but the Saints have been the superior team this year, averaging 20.8 points per game (20th) as compared to the Buccaneers’ 18.2 (27th).
Defensively, the Buccaneers have remained one of the top defenses in the league, allowing only 18.5 points per game (sixth). The Saints have run hot and cold defensively; on average they are allowing 23.3 points per game this year, though they have been better of late. Across the past four contests, the Saints are allowing only 20 points per game and they have recorded 14 sacks -- second only to the Chiefs.
IMAGO images/Christian Kolbert
Tampa Bay won 20-10 in Week 2 when these teams squared off with Jameis WInston under center for the Saints. Andy Dalton will get the start for the Saints this time.
For the Buccaneers, Tom Brady will have Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Julio Jones all available for this game. Leonard Fournette is expected to play, but if he cannot go, Rachaad White is a capable runner who played 90% of the snaps with 23 touches and 109 total yards in a soft matchup vs. Cleveland last week. The Saints have allowed 187 yards per game on the ground across the last four contests. That’s bottom-five in the NFL.
For the most part, the Saints have been tough on Brady, who has been held under 250 passing yards four times in five regular-season starts vs. New Orleans since joining the Bucs, and he only threw for more than one TD in two of those contests. The Saints have allowed only 176 passing yards per game across the past four contests.
The Saints will need Dalton to get back on track after putting up a donut vs. the Niners last Sunday. Dalton will have talented rookie WR Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry available and Alvin Kamara is healthy and should also be catching passes in this game. The Bucs have allowed only 187 passing yards per game across the past four weeks, and only 98.7 yards per game on the ground.
The Saints are 4-8 ATS.
The Buccaneers are 3-7-1 ATS.
The Buccaneers are 0-4 ATS as home favorites this year.
The Saints are 0-3 ATS as the road underdog.
The Buccaneers have gone over the game total in only two games this year.
The Saints have gone over in six games this year.
The Saints have won four of the six matchups in which Brady was QB for Tampa Bay. The under cashed in four of those games.
Despite leading the division, I can’t see the Buccaneers beating the Saints on Monday night by more than a field goal.
The Pick: Saints +3.5
More betting & NFL coverage:
• Updated World Cup Odds
• Chiefs Pass Bills as Super Bowl Favorites
• Report: 2023 Salary Cap Could Be $220 Million
• Deja Vu for Packers
• NFLPA Letter Sheds Light on Deshaun Watson Settlement