Week 17 went exactly as dreamed of, with the Bucks dominating the Panthers by a score of 48-14 and benefiting from the Commanders’ overtime victory over the Falcons on Sunday Night Football. This puts Tampa Bay back in first place in the NFC South, just one week after falling to the top. And now head coach Todd Bowles and his team are in control of their own destiny heading into Sunday’s final regular-season game against the Saints.
If the Bucks can do their job and beat the Saints at Raymond James Stadium to open 2025, they’ll make the playoffs for the fifth straight year and win their fourth straight NFC South title. . The Falcons could lose to the Panthers in Atlanta and win the division, but it’s clearly far preferable to do the job on their own and secure their first double-digit winning season since 2021.
Bucks HC Todd Bowles – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
of Full map of the playoffs It’s all but set for Week 18, but the Bucs won’t just be playing for a division title. If the Seahawks can win the division and defeat the Rams, they will become the No. 3 seed in the NFC and will have a game against the No. 6 seed at Raymond James Stadium during Super Wild Card Weekend. The No. 6 seed will be either the Commanders or the Packers, but if the Rams win and the Bucs remain the No. 4 seed, they will face the No. 5 seed. He will be the loser of this Sunday night’s game between the Lions and the Vikings in Detroit.
However, Tampa Bay shouldn’t be taken too far ahead. This is a team that struggles in New Orleans at 5-11, but it’s also a team that always seems to play well in Tampa. If Bowles’ team can complete a season sweep of the Saints for the second time in his three-year tenure, they will enter the playoffs as winners of six of the final seven games.
Here’s a preview of Sunday’s final regular season game between the Bucs and the Saints against Ray J.
lastly…
The Bucks and Saints last met in Week 6, and it was a much more competitive game than the final score would suggest. Tampa Bay won 51-27, but it was a scoreless game. The Bucks led 17-0 early, but a disastrous second quarter turned a 17-point lead into a 27-24 halftime lead. From there, they outscored the Saints 27-0 in the second half, one of the most lopsided wins ever against a division rival.
Bucks RB Sean Tucker – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The run game was without Ratchard White that day, but it ultimately didn’t matter as Sean Tucker stepped up with a performance that earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The second-year back ran 14 times for 136 yards and one touchdown and added three catches for 56 yards and another touchdown. Bucky Irving also contributed to Tampa Bay’s 277 rushing yards with 81 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield overcame three interceptions to throw four touchdowns, and Chris Godwin led the receivers, catching 11 passes for 125 yards and two scores.
In the game, the Buccaneer defense sacked rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler five times and picked him off twice, with both Zion McCollum and Tykie Smith scoring once. Smith also forced a fumble early, but Antwon Winfield Jr. returned it for a touchdown.
The Saints lead the all-time series against the Bucs 40-25, but Tampa Bay is 4-1 in five games between coach Todd Bowles’ teams.
Bucks and Saints trends
The Bucks have been trending in the right direction since their bye week, going 5-1 in their last six games. After a disappointing loss against the Cowboys in Week 16, he bounced back last week and scored 48 points in a blowout win at home against the Panthers. They now have a win-win scenario to end the regular season in Week 18.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
The success of the offense is a big reason why Tampa Bay is in position to win the NFC South and make the playoffs again. offensive coordinator Liam Cohen He’s garnered national praise for what he’s done on the Bucks’ offensive line this year, and for good reason. This is a unit that has been strong all year, but has gotten even better since the bye week. baker mayfield And Company has gone 5-1 since the bye, averaging 32.7 points per game, and Mayfield has not only gotten meaningful contributions from the team; mike evans But I’m also new jalen mcmillan.
Mayfield has thrown 15 touchdowns in his last six games, and combined with his three rushing touchdowns, he has 39 touchdowns this year. And he’s coming off a 359-yard, five-touchdown day against the Panthers that saw him. Earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. This is the second time this season.
It helps that Tampa Bay also runs the ball very well, currently ranking fourth in the league with 147.3 rushing yards per game. bucky irving Just passed the 1,000 yard rushing mark Last week, on the other hand Ratchard White Up to 613 yards on the ground. The run game went from last place to top five in one season, and is a key reason the Bucks are also ranked top five in scoring offense, total offense, and passing offense heading into Week 18.
Tampa Bay’s defense remains susceptible to bending and allowing explosive plays, as Carolina’s Bryce Young and Adam Thielen demonstrated early in last week’s game. But if the defense can string together some stops and the offense can build a lead off those stops, everything can change. tod bowles‘ Group. In the end, the defense held the Panthers scoreless in the second half and got a sack from the team. Yaya Diaby, Logan Hall, Kariya Kanshi, anthony nelson and chris braswell On the day.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara and Bucks FS Antwan Winfield Jr. – Photo courtesy of USA Today
According to the Saints, the attempt to hire an interim coach was a failure. After they fired Dennis Allen and promoted him. Darren Rizziwon 3 out of 4 and returned to 5 wins and 8 losses. However, after that, they lost three games in a row. The first two games were even more understandable, as they lost a hard-fought 20-19 to the playoff-bound Commanders, followed by a miserable 34-0 shutout loss to the fellow playoff-bound Packers. But last week’s 25-10 loss at home to the previously 3-12 Raiders makes for a grim outlook for Rizzi and his team, which appears to be stumbling toward the finish line of the season.
It doesn’t help that New Orleans has been without key pieces of the offense for much of this season. Chris Olave and taysom hill Both are on injured reserve, but quarterback derek carr has been injured intermittently, fighting to return for one more game in Week 18 after suffering a hand injury in Week 14. Alvin Kamara He also missed the past two games with a groin injury and is aiming to return for Sunday’s game against the Bucks.
Without Carr, most of them would have been rookies. spencer rattler Saints under center. It’s been a tough battle for the former Oklahoma State and South Carolina quarterback, as he’s completed just 55.9 percent of his passes, with three touchdowns and five interceptions, while being sacked 20 times. Kamara remains the key to New Orleans’ offense (as he always has been) with 950 rushing yards, a team-high 543 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns this season.
Defensively, the Saints have not been able to hold up against the run or pass. They rank 30th against the run, allowing 139.1 yards per game on the ground. The Bucs gained 277 yards in Week 6, and even the Raiders without a run game gained 156 yards last week thanks to Amir Abdullah’s career-high 115 yards last week. New Orleans’ pass defense ranks 27th and just last week they allowed 242 yards and two scores to Aidan O’Connell.
Since starting 2-0, the Saints are 3-11. This is an aging team that has been stuck in neutral for the past four years, but the Bucks are a team despite their claims that they are not a rival. have some kind of hatred For the team in Tampa. New Orleans will be looking to play spoiler Sunday before heading into an offseason that will undoubtedly be full of change. Tampa Bay can’t afford to let that happen.
Bucks RB Bucky Irving – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Heading into Week 18, here are the Bucks and Saints standings.
Bucks offense: 4th in scoring offense (29.7 PPG), 3rd in total offense (399.8 yards per game), 3rd in passing offense (252.6 yards per game), and 4th in rushing offense (147.3 yards per game).
Saints attack: 23rd in scoring offense (19.9 PPG), 20th in total offense (321.9 yards per game), 24th in passing offense (203.8 yards per game), 14th in rushing offense (118.1 yards per game).
Bucks defense: 17th in scoring defense (22.9 points per game), 21st in total defense (344.9 yards per game), 29th in passing defense (244.9 yards per game), and 5th in rushing defense (99.9 yards per game). yard)
Saints Defense: 18th in scoring defense (23.2 points per game), 30th in total defense (379.0 yards per game), 27th in passing defense (239.9 yards per game) and 30th in rushing defense (139.1 yards per game). yard)
As of Wednesday, the Bucks are 13.5-point favorites with the over/under set at 43.5 (per hard rock bet).
Bucks vs. Saints game information
when: Sunday, January 5th
where: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
kick off: 1:00 PM ET
tv set: FOX – Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Tom Brady (analyst), Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi (reporter)
Bucks Radio: 98Rock – Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (color), TJ Ribbs (reporter)
Spanish radio: 96.1 Caliente – Carlos Bojorquez (play-by-play), Martin Gramatica (analyst), Santiago Gramatica (reporter)
Bucks vs. Saints: Pewter Gameday Live Show (Sunday 1:00 PM ET)
The Pewter Gameday live show returns Sunday afternoon. #Bucks in the face of #Saints. A great way to receive news and analysis during the match.
Please watch and join in the fun!
— Pewter Report 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) January 1, 2025
