The Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed improvement in Bruce Arians' first year as head coach in 2019 but still endured their third consecutive losing season at 7-9. Six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady has the team one win away from matching that total midway through his first campaign with the team. The Buccaneers look to hit that mark when they host the NFC South-rival New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football. Kickoff from Raymond James Stadium is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay (6-2) enters Sunday's showdown with a three-game winning streak after sneaking past the New York Giants 25-23 on the road on Monday night. New Orleans (5-2) posted its fourth straight victory last Sunday, a 26-23 overtime triumph in Chicago. Tampa Bay is a three-point favorite in the latest Buccaneers vs. Saints odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under is 51. Before locking in any Saints vs. Buccaneers picks, you should see the latest Sunday Night Football predictions from SportsLine's proven model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up over $7,600 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception five-plus years ago. It's off to a strong 15-8 roll on top-rated NFL picks this season. The model enters Week 9 on an incredible 111-73 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
The model ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch in three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 95 percent of CBS Sports office pool players three times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bucs vs. Saints. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NFL lines from William Hill and trends for Saints vs. Bucs:
- Buccaneers vs. Saints spread: Tampa Bay -3
- Buccaneers vs. Saints over-under: 51 points
- Buccaneers vs. Saints money line: Tampa Bay -220, New Orleans +190
- TB: Buccaneers are 0-5 against the spread in their last five Week 9 games
- NO: Over has hit in all seven Saints games this season
Why the Buccaneers can cover
Behind Brady, Tampa Bay ranks eighth in the NFL in total offense (265.8 yards) and fourth in scoring with an average of 30.9 points per game. The three-time league MVP is tied for third with 20 touchdown passes, with two coming at New Orleans in the Buccaneers' season-opening loss. Brady, who also ran for a score in that contest, has 13 TD tosses in six career meetings with the Saints.
Mike Evans has hauled in seven of Brady's scoring passes this season, tying him for the league lead. The 27-year-old wide receiver leads Tampa Bay with 30 receptions and has made a touchdown catch in six of his eight games this year. Fellow wideout Chris Godwin has five TD receptions in his last six outings against New Orleans.
Why the Saints can cover
While Tampa Bay figures to have Antonio Brown in the lineup, New Orleans is expecting Michael Thomas to return from ankle and hamstring injuries. The 27-year-old Thomas, who had an NFL-record 149 receptions last campaign, hasn't played since making three catches for 17 yards in the Saints' season-opening victory over the Buccaneers. Fellow wideout Emmanuel Sanders, who is second on the team with 304 receiving yards, will play Sunday after missing two games with the coronavirus.
Having Thomas and Sanders to target should benefit Drew Brees, who has been limited in practice this week due to a shoulder injury. The 41-year-old has thrown 13 touchdown passes and just three interceptions this year. Brees is first in the NFL with a completion percentage of 73.1 and looks to join Len Dawson (six, 1964-69) and Steve Young (four, 1994-97) as the only players to lead the league in the category for at least four consecutive seasons.
How to make Buccaneers vs. Saints picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total. In fact, it says Brady and Brees will combine for four touchdown passes. It also says one side of the spread hits nearly 60 percent of the time. You can only get the pick here.
So who wins Saints vs. Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Saints vs. Buccaneers spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $7,600 on its NFL picks, and find out.
