Free Picks: New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After one of the most tumultuous seasons in recent memory, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the divisional round of the 2020 playoffs against their NFC South rival, the New Orleans Saints.  Bruce Arians is under pressure to win with their star-studded cast of players, but the Saints swept the regular-season series and will be in the Superdome this weekend, where Brees and company thrive.  10Bet has the Saints as -3.5 (+100) home favourites.

Look, there’s a lot to like about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, especially if you’re a Tom Brady fan, but there are just some teams that have another team’s number.

Such is the case for the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers rivalry.

The Buccaneers have only won and covered the spread in three games out of their last ten games against the Saints.  They lost both meetings this season, including a 38-3 demolition back in Week 9.

Many people are enamored with the idea of Tom Brady succeeding with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and rightfully so because he’s the greatest quarterback of all time.  However, that shouldn’t be enough to overlook the Saints’ stalwart defense and that the Buccaneers have been underwhelming against real contenders this season.

The Saints got their top two offensive weapons, RB Alvin Kamara and WR Michael Thomas, back last week against Washington, and it paid dividends as both managed to find the end zone.  Kamara is the heart of the Saints’ offense, and if the Buccaneers don’t contain him, they’ll be in for a long day at the Superdome.

The Buccaneers offense has looked shaky at various points throughout the season, and RB Ronald Jones II will probably be sidelined again. Still, it’s worth noting that the Buccaneers have looked better since their Week 13 bye, going 5-0 since then.

I believe the Saints are a better team.  While both teams feature potent offenses, the Saints’ defense is far more reliable, and I think that will end up being a key difference-maker. I’ll take the Saints to win and cover the point spread -3.5 (+100) (10Bet) at home.

In any case, it’ll be fun to watch Brees and Brady in the same game again!

• New Orleans is 8-1-1 in their last 10 games
• New Orleans is 7-1 in their last 8 games against an NFC South opponent
• Tampa Bay is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games against New Orleans
• Tampa Bay is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games against New Orleans