Buccaneers vs Saints Odds, Lines and Spread
- The New Orleans Saints are three-point home favorites against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC divisional round playoff game Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome
- John Perrotto Betting Record: 11-8-2 (2.2 units won)
- Odds, lines and the spread on Buccaneers-Saint can be found below with game analysis
The spotlight will be on two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the New Orleans Saints at 6:40 p.m. ET Sunday in an NFC divisional round playoff game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Tom Brady’s Buccaneers enter with a record of 12-5 after notching a 31-23 victory over the Washington Football Team on the road in last week’s wild card round as 10-points favorites. It was Tampa Bay’s fifth straight win.
Also in a wild card game, Drew Brees’ Saints downed the visiting Chicago Bears 21-9 as 11-point favorites to extend their winning streak to three games.
New Orleans is 10-7 against the spread this season and favored in this matchup from these NFL betting lines while Tampa Bay is 9-8.
Buccaneers vs Saints Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +130 | +3 (-108) | Over 52 (-110) |
| New Orleans Saints | -154 | -3 (-112) | Under 52 (-110) |
Odds taken Jan. 16 from FanDuel
Legendary Matchup
This game is all about the 43-year-old Brady and Brees, who turned 42 on Friday. Their combined age of 85 is the highest in NFL history for two quarterbacks in a playoff game.
They have been around a long time.
Before these legends meet in the playoffs Sunday, let's throw it back to the first ever meeting between @TomBrady and @drewbrees!
⏮ 2002 Patriots vs Chargers pic.twitter.com/gkrkSxSWZt
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 14, 2021
Brees is the league’s all-time leading passer with 80,358 yards and Brady is second with 79,204. Meanwhile, Brady holds the league record with 581 touchdown passes and Brees is next with 571.
Brady came to the Buccaneers in free agency after 20 seasons and six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots and has led Tampa Bay to its first playoff appearance since 2007. He completed 65.7% of his passes in the regular season for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.
Brees guided the Saints to their eighth postseason berth in his 15 years in New Orleans despite missing four games with a punctured lung and broken ribs. He had a 70.5 completion percentage while throwing for 2,942 yards and 24 touchdowns and being intercepted six times.
Third Time Around
This will be the third meeting of the season between the NFC South rivals and the Saints won both in the regular season on their way to a fourth straight division championship.
New Orleans notched a 34-23 home victory in Week 1 when favored by four points then blew out the Buccaneers 38-3 in Tampa in Week 9 as a three-point underdog. The Saints have won five straight against Tampa Bay overall.
The Saints intercepted Brady five times in the regular season and sacked him six times. He was just 45 of 74 (60.8%) for 448 yards and two touchdowns.
Brees was 44 for 62 (71.0%) for 382 yards. He had six TDs and no picks.
NFL history favors the Saints beating the Buccaneers again. There have been 22 previous postseason games featuring a team that swept its opponent during the regular season. On 14 occasions, the team that won twice won again.
The Saints were in the same situation in 2017 and beat Carolina in the wild card round after defeating the Panthers twice during the regular season.
Brady Heats Up
It took Brady some time to get acclimated to a new team and offense, especially since all offseason activities were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Brady has found his stride during the five-game winning streak. He has completed 116 of 176 passes (65.9%) for 1,714 yards and 14 touchdowns with only one interception.
Low snap, immediate pressure, #BigTimeThrow by Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/7TjDgITv0c
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) January 10, 2021
He set a franchise playoff record with his 381 passing yards last week when he connected on 22 of 40 attempts with two TD and no INTs.
Brees completed 28 of 39 throws for 265 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. That led to postgame dancing.
Saints dominate Bears 21-9 in the SLIME BOWL 🤮
Buccaneers at Saints next week… who you got? 🍿 pic.twitter.com/p5u5zPrpUa
— Overtime (@overtime) January 11, 2021
Heading Home?
The Buccaneers signed Brady with the intent of becoming the first team ever to play a Super Bowl on its home field. In what should be a terrific game, look for red-hot Tampa Bay to get one step closer to Raymond James Stadium for the big game Feb. 7.
Pick: Buccaneers +3 (-108)
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
