Derek Carr has a shoulder injury, so New Orleans is starting Jameis Winston. Credit: Photo via Buccaneers
The New Orleans Saints haven’t allowed a team to score over 20 points in almost a whole season’s worth of games. But their new quarterback Derek Carr has a shoulder injury, so New Orleans is starting Jameis Winston.

That means two things are going to happen Sunday at the Superdome: the Bucs will be ineffective moving and scoring the ball, and the Saints won’t be able to keep Jameis protected from an increasingly solid Bucs pass rush, leading the former Buc to throw a few interceptions

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Add all that up and you get a low-scoring Bucs victory, 17-6.

The Saints don’t really have a lot going for them right now either. Last week, New Orleans was up on the Green Bay Packer 17-0 going into the fourth quarter, but ended up blowing that lead and leaving Lambeau Field with an 18-17 loss. Heartbreaking stuff, right?

I don’t anticipate this Saints defense to keep giving up 18 points in a quarter, but there is the possibility that the momentum of that colossal meltdown carries over into Sunday’s game and the Bucs get to score some points.

Regardless, my belief is that JTS (Joe Tryon-Shoyinka) and Shaq Barrett will have their way with a Saints offensive line that has allowed four sacks per game over their first three road games. This’ll be their home opener, against a division rival no less, so maybe the ‘aints rise to the occasion, but I have my doubts.

If the Bucs fall this Sunday it’ll be due to an inability to take care of the football; the Saints aren’t going to get much going offensively, despite running back Alvin Kamara returning from his three-game suspension to begin the season, so if the Bucs can avoid simply gift wrapping the Saints opportunities to score points, they should be alright.

This game could go a long way towards deciding who wins the NFC South, as both teams have pretty average remaining schedules, besides the Bills and 49ers for the Bucs. These division matchups are key to help boost the chances to win any silly tiebreakers that might come into play with tied records.

Let’s see if the Big Easy Bucs can bounce back from their first loss of the season.

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This article appears in Best of The Bay 2023.