Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints Betting Preview/Prop Picks
14 September 2022
Time: 1:00 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 134.982; New Orleans 136.597
Dunkel Line & Total: New Orleans by 1 ½; 39
Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 3; 44
Dunkel Pick: New Orleans (+3); Under
After a 19-3 win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to New Orleans to face the Saints. There were several division games to start Week 1, and it looks like there are more in Week 2.
This NFC South matchup will see Tom Brady face Jameis Winston. Brady had a tough start to the Sunday night game against Dallas but got it together and closed it out.
The New Orleans Saints nearly lost to the Atlanta Falcons last week. After facing one division rival, they’ll face another with a 1-0 record under their belt.
It was a close win, but the Saints showed resiliency under Winston. There are a few things they’ll need to clean up, but the important thing is they won. Can they earn a second win against Brady and the Buccaneers?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brady needs to get going quicker
Last week, the Buccaneers scored just 12 points in the first half. Normally, this isn’t much of a problem, but they were all field goals, which is an issue.
The Buccaneers struggled to punch the ball into the endzone, which could’ve resulted in a loss. Brady went 18-27 with 212 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. This was an uncharacteristic night for him, to be sure.
One of the reasons for the struggles could be that none of the starters played in the preseason. The good news is their defense held up, allowing only three points the entire game.
They put a lot of pressure on Dak Prescott and forced a turnover as well. This allowed the Tampa Bay offense to control the clock. Tampa Bay covered the spread, and the total went well under.
New Orleans Saints: Saints need to keep pressure off Winston
The topic of conversation in New Orleans at the moment is likely how to keep Winston upright. The Tampa Bay defense pestered Prescott, earning two sacks on the night.
It might not seem like much, but Prescott went 14 for 29 with 134 yards and an interception. This is what pressure can do to opposing quarterbacks. So, the Saints need to keep the pocket clean for Winston.
In Week 1, Winston went 23-34 with 269 passing yards and two touchdowns. Taysom Hill took the leading rusher position with four carries for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Getting creative will definitely help them against the Buccaneers. In our opinion, they had a more complete game offensively than the Saints. Still, the Tampa Bay defense is a cause for concern.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints Betting Preview
This NFC South game is going to be an interesting one. The Buccaneers have a few pieces in place and can definitely get after quarterbacks.
It’s not their defense that we’re concerned with; however, it’s their offense. They’re also playing on the road, and they’re gone 1-2 against the Saints in the last three games.
Because of this, we’ll actually take the Saints +3 in this one. Their offense played as a cohesive group, and they just need to tighten up a few things on defense. We’ll also take the under since the total has gone under in six of their last eight games.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: New Orleans Saints +3, UNDER
Prop Picks
Tampa Bay (-115) UNDER 23.5 Points
New Orleans allowed 19.7 points per game last year on defense, which ranked No. 4 in the NFL. That averaged decreased from 20.9 points per game the previous season. Scores have gone UNDER in four of the Saints’ last five games as a Vegas home underdog.
With Dunkel predicting a New Orleans victory by the score of 20-19, take the Bucs (-115) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 23.5 points against the Saints.
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