Buccaneers at Saints Week 2 Preview and Prediction
Odds, best bets and analysis for this NFC South showdown
Matthew Horner - Sep 12, 2022, 8:21pm EDTIt's really hard to believe, but Week 1 in the NFL is in the books already. There were some crazy upsets in the first week already, and you know sportsbooks loved that. Now they will adjust their ratings for teams and try to beat us in Week 2. The good news is that whenever they move their lines because of this, that sometimes can give us the advantage to play against what could be an overreaction.
BetQL will have you covered all football season with all the latest lines, analysis, and information to keep you up to date with everything NFL. We'll have our best bets and model plays every week to keep you in the green all season long, no matter which sportsbook you use.
Remember to always shop around for the best lines, so take a look at a few of the books I'll add a link to in this article to find the best number possible to give you the greatest advantage.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs may have defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football during Week 1, but it really wasn't all that impressive of a performance out of them. Sure, the defense was stifling and held Dallas to virtually nothing all day long. Tampa Bay held Dallas to a 3-of-15 mark on 3rd down conversions and 244 total yards. But how much of that was the defense and how much was it Dallas being bad? Dak Prescott exited the game early, so that helped Tampa out, even if he did look terrible most of the night. I just wouldn't overreact yet to this game in saying they have something special on defense.
The offense was the more disappointing unit. The Cowboy's defense is strong, and it does have playmakers, but Tampa really looked out of sync at times. The offensive line is in shambles, with several key injuries and new starters because of that. QB Tom Brady is, of course, a legend of the game, but even he looked pretty rusty in Game 1. The highlight for Tampa was the running game. RB Leonard Fournette ran for 127 yards and carried the offense for most of the game.
New Orleans Saints
What a win for the Saints on Sunday. They trailed Atlanta for pretty much the entire game, but they made an amazing comeback to seal the victory 27-26. They pulled off this comeback after being down 26-10 with 12:41 remaining in the game, which made it even more impressive. There's just something about Atlanta and blowing huge leads. QB Jameis Winston and WR Michael Thomas hooked up for 2 touchdowns during the 4th-quarter rally, so it was good to see them forming a connection. Thomas will be critical for the success of this team down the stretch.
They looked really bad out of the gate against a Falcons team that is supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league in 2022, but a win is a win. Not only that, but New Orleans just seems to have Tampa Bay's number. The Saints represented half of Tampa Bay’s losses last season. New Orleans beat the Bucs 36-27 on Halloween in New Orleans and 9-0 on the road near Christmas.
They can be better than anyone expects, especially once Winston settles in.
My Prediction
If you can get a +3 with the Saints here, I'd say lock it in. I really like New Orleans in this game at home, where they have really given Tom Brady problems in the past. All of the trends point towards New Orleans as well. In the all-time series that dates back to 1977, New Orleans is 39-22 against Tampa Bay. The Saints have won 7 of the last 8 meetings and are 7-1 ATS in those games. The last 30 meetings have seen 18 ATS wins for the Saints and 18 Unders.
You could take the Saints ML to get some plus money, or I think they would be a great teaser leg. Take New Orleans up through +7 and pair it with something else that looks appealing to you.
