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TAMPABAY (1-0) at NEW ORLEANS (1-0)

Sunday, 1:00 PM EDT, Fox

OPENING LINE: Corsairs with 2 1/2, according to .

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Buccaneers 1-0; Saints 0-1

SERIES RECORD: Saints lead 39-21

FINAL MEETING: Saints beat Buccaneers 9-0, December 19, 2021, in Tampa Bay.

LAST WEEK: Buccaneers beat Cowboys 19-3; Saints defeated Falcons 27-26.

BUCCANEERS VIOLATION: GENERAL (17), RUSH (8), PASS (21), SCORING (T22).

BUCCANIERS DEFENSE: GENERAL (3), RUSH (6), PASS (5), SCORING (1).

HOLY VIOLATION: GENERAL (12), RUSH (9), PASS (15), SCORING (6).

HOLY DEFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (29), PASS (15), SCORING (T25).

REVENUE DIFFERENCE: pirates 0; Saints plus-1

BUCANNERS PLAYER TO WATCH: With Tom Brady turning 45 in training camp and playing behind an offensive line with two young players making their first NFL start last week, the Bucs relied heavily on the running game during their season-opening win in Dallas. RB Leonard Fournette rushed for 127 yards, a personal best in a regular season game since signing with Tampa Bay in 2020. He also had two receptions for 10 yards.

SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Jarvis Landry made a major contribution to his Saints debut, catching seven passes for 114 yards, culminating in his 40 yards acrobatic reception in the last minute of the game to help set up the winning field goal .

IMPORTANT MATCHUP: Fournette vs. the defensive front of the Saints. New Orleans, which finished fourth against the run a season ago, had an unusually difficult week 1 game against Falcons who backed Cordarrelle Patterson and mobile QB Marcus Mariota, New Orleans allowed 201 yards rushing with Patterson the first 100-yard rusher was against the Saints in more than a season.

KEY Injuries: Bucs WR Chris Godwin returned last week – eight months after undergoing surgery to repair two knee ligaments he tore against the Saints last December. However, he left the opener with a hamstring injury. The Bucs say the injury does not appear as serious as initially suspected, but his status for Sunday remains uncertain. LT Donovan Smith (hyper-extended elbow) started the week with the injury report and could be a pre-game decision. … Saints CB Paulson Adebo missed practice this week with an ankle injury that sidelined him in Week 1. … RB Alvin Kamara was limited in practice with a rib injury that forced him to go to the locker room before the end of the game. last week’s game. … WR Tre’Quan Smith, who was scratched in Week 1 due to a shoulder injury, returned to training this week.

SERIES Game Notes
The Saints have won all four regular-season matchups since Brady left New England for Tampa Bay in 2020, but the Bucs won the only playoff meeting two seasons ago in New Orleans. … The Saints have intercepted Brady eight times in the past four regular season meetings combined. … Saints QB Jameis Winston was first drafted by Tampa Bay in 2015 and played his first five seasons with the Bucs. … Winston’s first start against the Bucs came last Halloween, when Winston fell early in the second quarter with a season-ending knee injury. … New Saints coach Dennis Allen was the interim head coach of the Saints before New Orleans’ Tampa Bay win last December, when now-retired Sean Payton stayed home due to a positive COVID-19 test.

STATS AND THINGS: The Tampa Bay defense was dominant last week, limiting the Cowboys to 244 yards and three points. Dallas drove to the Bucs Bay 31 on the first leg of the game, settled for a field goal and didn’t come close to scoring again. It’s the fewest points the Bucs have allowed in Week 1 since 2003. … Brady threw 212 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In 18 road games with the Bucs, he has thrown 5,557 yards and 44 TDs against 11 interceptions. … WR Julio Jones made his debut with the Bucs last week. He spent nine of his first 10 pro seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and has 102 receptions for 1,615 yards and three TDs in 18 games against the Saints. … Bucs WR Mike Evans had a TD catch against the Cowboys. He leads the league with 76 TD receipts since entering the NFL in 2014. … The Bucs have allowed a league low of 82.3 yards per game on the road since the start of the 2019 season. … The Saints’ 201 yards of rushing allowed in Atlanta last weekend was more than last season in all but one game. … Winston passed for 269 yards and two TDs without an interception last week, earning him 16 TDs against three INTs in eight career starts for New Orleans. … Saints de Cameron Jordan had two sacks and a force fumble in the previous encounter and had a sack in both encounters last season. … Sophomore LB Pete Werner led the Saints with 12 tackles and had his first career forced fumble last week. … TE Taysom Hill, who is also a regular at QB, rushed four times for 81 yards last week, including one 57-yard run and an 11-yard TD.

FANTASY TIP: Saints WR Michael Thomas started looking like his old self late in New Orleans’ comeback win in Atlanta last week when he caught two contested passes for touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Winston looks confident throwing at him, especially in red zone situations.

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