In the home finale, the New Orleans Saints lost 25-10 to the Las Vegas Raiders, dropping their record to 5-11. Their final season matchup will be against the 9-7 Tamps Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs have playoff implications versus their NFC foe and have been on a roll, winning five out of their last six games. Tampa’s also dominated the Black and Gold as of late as they head into this matchup.
Kickoff inside Raymond James Stadium is set for noon on Sunday, January 5th.
PLAYOFFS ON THE LINE
The Saints may be out of the running, but there’s still much for Tampa to play for. At 9-7, the Buccaneers lead the division by one game.
It’s as simple as “win and you’re in” for the Bucs on Sunday with the Atlanta Falcons sitting a game behind at an 8-8 record. A win for Tampa secures them the four-seed and a home game in the NFC side of the NFL playoffs. Atlanta needs a couple of things to go their way.
For the Falcons to get into the dance, the Dirty Birds need to defeat the 4-12 Carolina Panthers and the Saints must beat the Bucs on the road.
RECENT DOMINANCE
In the history between these two teams, the Black and Gold have gotten the better of the Bucs 40 times compared to Tampa winning 26 of these games. The opposite has happened in the last couple of years.
Since the 2022 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won four out of the last five games. In three of those losses, New Orleans failed to keep it close, losing by 10 points or more. Those three games all occurred in the Caesars Superdome. The other loss was by one point on the road in 2022 when the Saints fell 17-16.
The lone win for New Orleans was the other road game against Tampa last season. The Saints won that one 23-13. In that win, the Bucs were held to 57 yards rushing, and quarterback Baker Mayfield threw two interceptions. Tampa was also held scoreless through the first 52 minutes of the game.
ROOKIE RECORD
The New Orleans Saints have started three quarterbacks this year, veteran Derek Carr, second-year Jake Haener, and rookie Spencer Rattler. Carr’s missed six games this season due to injuries, including the last three weeks.
In five of those six games, Rattler was named the starter and it hasn’t gone according to plan with his record as a starter being 0-5. The first three games were back in October when Rattler lost to the Buccaneers 51-27, the Broncos 33-10, and the Chargers 26-8.
Carr returned the following week and Rattler waited until December to get named the starter again. In those other games, the Saints were shut out by the Packers 34-0 on Monday Night Football, and the visiting Las Vegas Raiders embarrassed the Black and Gold on their home field 25-10.
Rattler is expected to start for the season’s final game with Carr continuing to heal from a fractured left hand.
SERIES RECORD: Saints lead 40-26
Last 5 Meetings:
2024: BUCCANEERS 51 – SAINTS 27
2023: SAINTS 23 – BUCCANEERS 13
2023: BUCCANEERS 26 – SAINTS 9
2022: BUCCANEERS 17 – SAINTS 16
2022: BUCCANEERS 20 – SAINTS 10
STAT LEADERS:
Saints
Derek Carr: 189-279, 2,145 Yards, 15 TD, 5 INT
Alvin Kamara: 228 Carries, 950 Yards, 6 TD
Alvin Kamara: 68 Catches, 543 Yards, 2 TD
Bryan Bresee: 7.5 Sacks
Demario Davis: 127 Tackles (63 Solo)
Paulson Adebo & Tyrann Mathieu: 3 INT
Blake Grupe: 23-of-27 Field Goals, Long of 57, 30-of-32 PAT
Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield: 386-538,
Bucky Irving: 188 Carries, 1,033 Yards, 7 TD
Mike Evans: 65 Catches, 915 Yards, 11 TD
Calijah Kancey: 7.5 Sacks
Lavonte David: 113 Tackles (72 Solo)
Tykee Smith & Zyon McCollum: 2 INT
Chase McLaughlin: 28-of-30 Field Goals, Long of 56, 51-of-53 PAT
INJURY REPORT:
Saints
Derek Carr, QB, Left Hand, Out
Alvin Kamara, RB, Groin, Doubtful
Kendre Miller, RB, Concussion, Out
Payton Turner, DE, Ankle, Questionable
Pete Werner, LB, Concussion, Questionable
Juwan Johnson, TE, Knee, Questionable
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Chest, Questionable
Chris Olave, WR, Head, Out
Willie Gay Jr, LB, Shoulder, Questionable
Buccaneers
Jamel Dean, CB, Knee, Out
Payne Durham, TE, Quadriceps, Questionable
Cade Otton, TE, Knee, Doubtful
Antoine Winfield, S, Knee, Out
Devin Culp, TE, Ribs, Questionable
Mike Evans, WR, Rest, Questionable
William Gholston, DL, Knee, Questionable
Bucky Irving, RB, Shoulder/Shin, Questionable
Sterling Shepard, WR, Hamstring, Questionable
Tristan Wirfs, T, Foot/Knee, Questionable
