The New Orleans Saints will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1:00 ET on Sunday, January 5th. This matchup is being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay.

FOX will broadcast the week 18 matchup between the Saints and Buccaneers, with the game kicking off at 1:00 ET. The Buccaneers are the heavy favorite with a money line of -931, while the Saints’ money line odds are +608. The Buccaneers are favored by -13.5 points, and the over/under line is 43.5 points. The game is being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.

• Date: Sunday, January 5th
• Time: 1:00 ET
• Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay
• TV: FOX

Saints vs Buccaneers

With a 5-11 record, the Saints sit 3rd in the NFC South and rank 29th in our power rankings. They’ve lost three straight, including a 25-10 defeat to the Raiders in week 17. New Orleans was a 1.5-point underdog at home but couldn’t cover, and the game’s 35 points fell short of the 37.5-point O/U line.

The Saints have a -3.2 scoring margin and are 6-10 ATS this season. They are 5-7 as underdogs and 1-3 as favorites. Their O/U record is 7-9, with the under hitting in five straight games.

Heading into week 18, the Buccaneers sit atop the NFC South with a 9-7 record, giving them an 86.2% chance of winning the division and making the playoffs. Tampa Bay ranks 7th in our NFL power rankings and 4th in the NFC. They are 4-4 at home and 5-3 on the road. Their conference record stands at 7-4, and they are 3-2 in division games.

The Bucs bounced back from a week 16 loss to the Cowboys by beating the Panthers 48-14 in week 17. Tampa Bay was a 10-point favorite and covered the spread, improving their ATS record to 10-6. Their O/U record is 11-5, with the over hitting in three straight games.

Saints Injury Report

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling – Back (Questionable)
• Taysom Hill – Knee (Out)
• Erik McCoy – Elbow (Out)
• Lucas Patrick – Knee (Out)
• Ryan Ramczyk – Knee (Out)
• Alvin Kamara – Groin (Questionable)
• Derek Carr – Left Hand (Questionable)
• Justin Herron – Knee (Out)
• Payton Turner – Ankle (Questionable)
• Paulson Adebo – Femur (Out)
• Chris Olave – Concussion (Questionable)
• D’Marco Jackson – Ankle (Out)
• Nick Saldiveri – Knee (Out)
• Rashid Shaheed – Knee (Out)
• Camron Peterson – Undisclosed (Out)
• Rejzohn Wright – Undisclosed (Out)
• Kendre Miller – Concussion (Questionable)
• Jaylan Ford – Lower Leg (Out)
• Trajan Jeffcoat – Undisclosed (Out)
• Bub Means – Ankle (Out)

Buccaneers Injury Report

• Daniel Grzesiak – Undisclosed (Out)
• SirVocea Dennis – Shoulder (Out)
• Silas Dzansi – Knee (Out)
• Christian Izien – Pectoral (Out)
• Markees Watts – Quad (Out)
• Cade Otton – Knee (Questionable)
• Bryce Hall – Ankle (Out)
• Eric Banks – Undisclosed (Out)
• Antoine Winfield Jr. – Knee (Questionable)
• Jamel Dean – Knee (Questionable)
• Sua Opeta – Knee (Out)
• Cody Thompson – Shoulder (Out)
• Chase Edmonds – Knee (Out)
• Chris Godwin – Ankle (Out)
• Sterling Shepard – Foot/hamstring (Questionable)
• Troy Hill – Foot/knee (Out)

Saints Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 18, the Saints rank 20th in our offensive power rankings, averaging 19.9 points per game, which is 22nd in the NFL. They are 20th in passing attempts and 24th in passing yards per game, with 203.8. On the ground, New Orleans ranks 16th in rushing attempts and 14th in rushing yards per game, with 118.1. They are 23rd in the league in 3rd-down conversion percentage but 7th in red zone conversion percentage.

Spencer Rattler threw for 218 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions, in week 17 against the Raiders. New Orleans scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter but was shut out in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th quarters. The Saints struggled on 3rd down, converting just 1 of 10 attempts. Juwan Johnson led the team with 66 receiving yards, and Rattler was the leading rusher with 46 yards on 3 carries.

Buccaneers Offense Breakdown

The Buccaneers enter week 18 ranked 7th in our offensive power rankings. They are 3rd in the NFL in passing yards per game (252.6) and 4th in rushing, averaging 147.3 yards per game. Tampa Bay leads the league in 3rd-down conversions and is 3rd in red zone attempts, but they are 29th in red zone conversion percentage. They also lead the NFL in 1st-quarter scoring, averaging 7.2 points.

In week 17, Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and 5 touchdowns, completing 27 of 32 passes against the Panthers. Mike Evans had 8 catches for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Bucky Irving rushed for 113 yards on 20 carries. Tampa Bay scored 48 points, with 10 coming in the 1st quarter, 17 in the 2nd, 14 in the 3rd, and 7 in the 4th.

Saints Team Defense

Despite allowing just 232 passing yards and holding the Raiders to a 57.1% completion percentage in their most recent game, the Saints gave up 25 points and lost 25-10. New Orleans struggled to defend the run, allowing 156 yards on 38 attempts. They also struggled on third downs, allowing the Raiders to convert 55.6% of their third down attempts.

The Saints’ defense managed only one sack in the game and had a tough time generating consistent pressure, as they lost the quarterback hit differential by a margin of -5.

Buccaneers Team Defense

In their most recent game, the Buccaneers’ defense allowed just 39 rushing yards on 13 attempts against the Panthers. Despite giving up two passing touchdowns, they held Carolina to 165 passing yards and 48.2% completion percentage. Tampa Bay’s defense was also tough on third downs, allowing only a 22.2% conversion rate. They recorded five sacks and limited the Panthers to 204 total yards in their 48-14 win.

Saints vs Buccaneers Trends

• Through their last three road games, New Orleans has an ATS record of just 0-3. However, their overall record was 1-2 while averaging 12 points per game.
• Through their last ten home games, Tampa Bay has an ATS record of just 6-4. However, their overall record was 6-4 while averaging 27 points per game.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Saints have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-3.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Buccaneers have a strong straight up record of 4-1. In addition, their ATS record was 3-2 in these scenarios.

Saints vs Buccaneers Prediction

For this week 18 matchup between the Saints and Buccaneers, we have the Buccaneers coming out on top by a score of 30-14. Even though the Saints are the heavy favorites at +13.5, we like the Buccaneers to cover the spread as home favorites.

As for an over/under pick, with the line sitting at 43.5 points, we are leaning towards taking the over, projecting a combined score of 44 points.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.