Buccaneers vs Saints: Odds, Spread, Preview: NFL Week 2 Predictions

Buccaneers vs Saints Week 2 matchup preview and current betting lines

Usually, we talk about Tom Brady to discuss his greatness, records, accuracy, clutchness, or all the things that have made him an NFL legend. This time, however, number 12 has been all over the news for off-field controversies and alleged trouble in his marriage.

Unfortunately, the seven-time Super Bowl champion will have to put that aside, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in line for a divisional matchup vs. the New Orleans Saints, a team that’s been historically tough on them.

The Saints are fresh off a thrilling divisional win vs. the Atlanta Falcons. They struggled vastly in the first half of the game before Jameis Winston stepped up and prove why some still think he can live up to the expectations of being a first-overall pick.

Dennis Allen’s defense is physical and knows Brady pretty well. These teams don’t like each other one bit, so we could be in for some good old-fashioned, bruising football between lifelong foes. What’s not to like about that?

Players to watch:

Julio Jones: Chris Godwin’s status is up in the air, so Julio Jones could be in for a throwback performance against a well-known divisional foe. He hauled in five receptions on three targets for 69 yards and rushed twice for an additional 17 yards. Those were his first two rush attempts since 2019.

Michael Thomas: It took him a while, but once he got settled in, Michael Thomas showed impressive chemistry with Jameis Winston and no signs of rust whatsoever. He’s coming off a two-touchdown performance, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep the foot on the gas.

Week 2 Predictions: NFL Bet of the week on Buccaneers vs Saints

Saints +3

The opening Buccaneers vs Saints spread has Todd Bowles team favored by a field goal, but that may be a mistake here. The Saints have punished Tom Brady often and early since he moved to Florida, and their defense is even better this season.

The Saints have always been a much better team at home than they’re on the road. Jameis Winston showed instant chemistry with Jarvis Landry, while Michael Thomas looked as sharp as ever with a couple of touchdown receptions.

Brady will need to get by without Chris Godwin in this game, and trusting Leonard Fournette to be efficient may not be the safest bet, even though the Saints did allow a league-high 201 rushing yards to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.

All things considered, both teams have more than enough weapons to make this an interesting game, and even though the Bucs could still win, laying a field goal on the road against a divisional foe isn’t what we’re looking to do here.

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Over 44.5

The Buccaneers vs Saints odds have the game at just 44.5 projected points. We get it, divisional games are rough and tough, and teams could look to take a rather conservative approach as we’re talking about Week Two.

Nonetheless, these two teams feature plenty of offensive firepower, so we have to take our chances when the game total is this low. The Saints put up 17 points in the fourth quarter alone, and you know Jameis Winston can throw the football.

The Buccaneers weren’t at their best offensively against the Dallas Cowboys, but it’s not like they needed to do a lot, as the Cowboys couldn’t score in the final three quarters of the game. That won’t be the case against the Saints.

This game has the potential to have multiple lead changes and be a bit of a back-and-forth. Winston would love to stick it to his former team, and Brady is on a farewell tour, so we wouldn’t be shocked if this game ends in the range of a 28-27 score.

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