Opening Spread in Saints vs Buccaneers Week 9 Matchup Favors Tampa Bay by 4.5-Points
- The New Orleans Saints (5-2) visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) on Sunday Night Football in Week 9 (Nov. 8, 8:20 pm EST)
- Tampa Bay has won three straight and opened up as a 4.5-point favorite
- Read below for analysis on which way the line will move ahead of kickoff
First place in the NFC South will be on the line on Sunday Night Football in Week 9 (Nov. 8, 8:20 pm EST), as the 5-2 New Orleans Saints visit the 6-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This game is a rematch of Tom Brady’s Bucs debut in New Orleans in Week 1, which ended in a 34-23 Saints victory. It will also mark the return of controversial wideout Antonio Brown, who was signed by Tampa Bay prior to its Week 7 contest.
Saints vs Buccaneers Opening Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | +4.5 (-114) | +166 | Over 54.5 (-110) |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -4.5 (-106) | -198 | Under 54.5 (-110) |
Odds taken Nov. 2nd at FanDuel.
The Buccaneers opened up as a 4.5-point home favorite, following their win on Monday Night Football over the New York Giants. The victory was Tampa Bay’s third in a row, but it wasn’t the same type of dominant performance we’ve seen in the previous two weeks.
Buccaneers Barely Escape with Win
Riding high after blowout wins over Green Bay and Las Vegas, the Bucs spotted the G-Men a 14-3 lead before snapping out of a funk. They outscored New York 19-3 in the first 29 minutes of the second half, before holding on for dear life and escaping with a two-point win.
LET'S GO @AntoineWJr11‼️
📲: https://t.co/cvKtEGP3p1
🎉: #BudLightCelly @BudLight pic.twitter.com/GPtZpAXGeW— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 3, 2020
Tampa Bay’s number one rated coverage unit picked off Daniel Jones twice in the second half, which Brady converted into 10 points. The 43-year-old threw two more touchdowns and now has a 17-1 TD-to-INT rate since Week 2.
M1️⃣K3️⃣
📲: https://t.co/cvKtEGP3p1 pic.twitter.com/Or9OECxmqO
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 3, 2020
Not only will the Bucs offense be adding Brown to the mix in Week 9, but they could get Chris Godwin back as well. The stud receiver missed Monday’s game with a finger injury, but the thought of him, Brown, Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski to defend must be giving defensive coordinators around the league nightmares.
New Orleans Needs Reinforcements
New Orleans will enter Week 9 riding a four-game winning streak, thanks to a Week 8 overtime victory in Chicago. For the fourth straight game, the Saints were forced to come from behind, rallying from a 13-3 deficit on the back of Alvin Kamara.
Only one NFL player has 1000+ all-purpose yards so far this season ⚡️
↓ @A_kamara6 ↓ pic.twitter.com/lsGH8vDzLW
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 2, 2020
Their superstar running back racked up 163 scrimmage yards versus the Bears, marking the sixth straight game he has produced at least 100 all purpose yards. The New Orleans offense has revolved around him since Michael Thomas went down in Week 1, and that’s been amplified over the past two weeks with Emmanuel Sanders on the COVID-19 list.
Drew Brees isn't getting it done.
The #Saints desperately need Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders back if they want to contend for a Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/Ewr6hXqE9k
— PFF (@PFF) November 2, 2020
Sanders will almost certainly be in the lineup on Sunday Night, while Thomas returned to practice last week and appears to be trending in the right direction.
Tampa Bay’s defense is ranked first by DVOA, and the Saints will need all hands on deck if they’re going to put up enough points to upset the Bucs.
Line Likely to Drift in Saints’ Favor
Prior to Week 8, the lookahead line for this game was Bucs -4.5 and nothing either team did in their respective matchups warranted oddsmakers to make any adjustments.
Monday Mood after a #Saints Win 😁 pic.twitter.com/xjLkgMcXkG
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 2, 2020
That will almost certainly change if New Orleans gets positive news on the injury front. Thomas, and to a lesser extent Sanders, are difference makers for this Saints offense and if word comes out early that they’ll be suiting up, expect a line move in New Orleans’ direction.
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
