NFL Betting – New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s a battle for supremacy in the NFC South on Sunday Night Football when the New Orleans Saints visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And one team will see its winning streak come to an end. The Bucs hold the top spot in the division having won three straight and six of seven since an opening day setback to the Saints. New Orleans followed a two-game losing streak by winning its last four games to pull within a half game of the division leaders. Drew Brees and Tom Brady are showing no signs of slowing down at their advanced age. The two are dueling for the NFL career lead in touchdown passes with Brady having one more entering Week 9 action. The Bucs are currently a 4.5-point favorite on the NFL betting line. Bookmaker.eu offers a generous welcome bonus (max bonus $1600).
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Date and Time: Sunday, November 8, 2020, 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
NFL Odds: Tampa Bay -4.5, O/U 51
Saints at Buccaneers TV Coverage: NBC
Odds Analysis
We expected the division race to be a fight between these clubs and that’s exactly what we’ve gotten through the halfway point of the 2020 NFL season. The Saints take a four-game winning streak into the contest with the previous three each decided by a field goal. They failed to cover the spread in those games and are just 1-5 ATS in their last six games. For the first time in 2020 they’ll be getting points positioned as a 4.5-point dog on the current line. The Saints extended their winning streak over the Bucs to four with a 34-23 payout in Week 1.The teams played over the total in the first meeting with the OVER 5-1 in the last six series games. Plenty of action on the UNDER forced the total down to 51 after hitting the board at 56.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints have been so good on offense under Brees and Sean Payton that a slight drop in production has some concerned. Well, keep in mind they are still a top-10 team in terms of total yards and rank seventh in the league in scoring with 29.4 points per game. Brees hasn’t put up big numbers in the passing game averaging 271.1 yards, but he’s been efficient completing over 73 percent with 13 touchdowns and a passer rating of 106.5.
Being without the NFL’s top receiver from last season could have something to do with the numbers. Michael Thomas hasn’t played since getting injured in the opener against Tampa and there’s a chance he could be back in the lineup on Sunday. Emmanuel Sanders is also expected back after a two-game COVID-related absence. Their return gives Brees a full arsenal of weapons which he hasn’t had since Week 1.
Still the Saints continue to win and they’re proving they can prevail in close games winning each of the last three by three points. They held on to beat Detroit 35-29 to start their current winning streak. New Orleans has been a risky bet this year going 2-5 ATS, but points have been plentiful. The Saints have cashed the OVER in all seven games with the run reaching nine straight dating back to last regular season. They got a defensive score on a pick-six from Janoris Jenkins and sacked Brady three times in the opener improving to 4-0 SU and ATS in the last four meetings.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A lot was said of Brady after his Week 1 performance. He tossed a pair of interceptions, was sacked three times and threw for 239 yards in the loss to the Saints. He’s quieted the critics since with vintage performances leading Tampa to six wins in their last seven games. Over that span Brady’s thrown for 1,950 yards with 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The Bucs totaled 108 points in their last three games and average 30.9 for the season to rank fourth.
And like Brees, Brady could also have another weapon to throw to. Antonio Brown is expected to make his debut with the club providing depth at the receiver spot. “He’ll have his role. It could be 10 plays, it could 35 plays, I wouldn’t anticipate 60 plays, for sure, but we’ll just see how it goes,” Bruce Arians said of Brown’s role. With Chris Godwin having surgery on his finger and Mike Evans slowed by ailments for most of the season, Brown becomes an important factor in the offense as long as he doesn’t go off a cliff.
The Bucs might be the most balanced team in the league. Not only is the offense putting up points, the defense has been among the best in the NFL all season. They boast the best run defense and third-best total defense while surrendering only 20.6 points per game. In the first meeting the Bucs held Brees to 160 passing yards and the Saints to 271 total yards. Three turnovers proved their undoing in that contest.
Bet Saints at Buccaneers at BookMaker.eu
The public is throwing down on the UNDER forcing the total to drop five points from the opener. That’s a huge fall, but I anticipate both offenses will do their share of damage with playmakers back on the field. The teams combined for 57 points in the first matchup and that was before Brady got comfortable around his new teammates. Taking the over is the smart play.
NFL Score Prediction: Saints 28, Buccaneers 26
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
