Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints Odds & Game Pick (2020)
The Week 1 contest between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints should be one of the week’s most anticipated matchups. Two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game in Tom Brady and Drew Brees face off. In addition, this is the nation’s first look at Brady donning the red and orange as he is under center for someone other than the New England Patriots for the first time since 2000.
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Details
- Opening Lines: DraftKings had the odds open as Saints -4; O/U 49.5
- Current Line: Saints -3.5
- O/U: 48
- Location: Mercedez-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
- Start Time: 4:25 pm ET
- Television: FOX
- Last Meeting: November 17, 2019 – The Saints defeated the Buccaneers 34-17 in Tampa Bay in Week 11
View consensus picks from experts for the Bucs at Saints >>
Overview
There is arguably no team that underwent a more extensive face-lift during the offseason than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They went from perennial NFC South bottom dwellers to instant Super Bowl contenders when they signed Tom Brady. But that signing was just the start of their changes as Brady was able to convince his old teammate Rob Gronkowski to come out of retirement and join him. In addition, veteran running back LeSean McCoy was brought in and will compete for time with Ronald Jones and the newly acquired Leonard Fournette. As a result of all these moves, Tampa Bay went from an afterthought to must-see television.
While the Buccaneers underwent a lot of changes from last year to this year, the New Orleans Saints roster remains more-or-less intact. The team did bring in veterans Emmanuel Sanders and Malcolm Jenkins to help on each side of the ball. In addition, there were rumors that the team may be shopping running back Alvin Kamara. However, the latest out of Saints camp is that the two sides are nearing an agreement for a long-term contract extension. Thus, opportunity is knocking for the Saints to squeeze out one last Super Bowl run before their 41-year old quarterback decides to hang it up for good.
Trends
- Underdogs are 8-0 SU in each of the Buccaneers’ last eight Week 1 games.
- The over is 10-0 in each of the Buccaneers’ last ten games against NFC opponents.
- The Saints are 0-6 ATS in their last six season openers.
Prop Bet
New Orleans Saints OVER 12.5 First Half Points (-143 at DraftKings)
Even though this is the first game of the season and neither team has had any preseason games under their belts, I still expect the Saints to come out firing in this matchup. As previously mentioned, the nucleus of their offense and coaching staff is consistent from last year. Drew Brees and his supporting cast should be able to recite head coach Sean Payton’s playbook in their sleep by now. Thus, New Orleans will have an advantage over many teams early after a compromised offseason. Payton will likely enter this game believing the game can turn into a shootout and he will have his offense going full-throttle from the beginning. Two touchdowns from the Saints offense in the first half is not a lot to ask.
Bottom Line
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely be a scary team to play at the end of the season, but they appear ripe for the picking early. It is to daunting of a task for a team with so many new pieces to go into the Superdome and knock off the Saints. Oddsmakers likely did not want to make this spread too big or else they would have been flooded with Tampa Bay money. However, this spread seems just right to attract the 50/50 money that they so desire and it is a perfect number for the Saints to be able to cover.
However, Tom Brady deserves some credit as he will not look completely lost in Week 1 after playing quarterback for 20 years. There were many seasons in New England that Brady did not see play a single down in the preseason, and he rarely looked rusty in Week 1. Therefore, look for the Buccaneers to be able to score in this one, but not at a fast enough clip to keep up with New Orleans.
Pick: Saints -3.5, Over 48
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.