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Water is wet, the sky is blue, and Tom Brady dominates in the NFL. Those are three obvious things that won’t change anytime soon. Tom Brady continues to light it up in his age 44 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.
Following a rout of the Chicago Bears in Week 7, the Buccaneers will travel to face the New Orleans Saints for the first time this season in Week 8. Brady struggled against the Saints a season ago, throwing for 448 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions in the two meetings.
For the Saints, they are coming off of an ugly win over the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football that concluded with a score of 13-10. New Orleans is now 4-2 on the season, putting them just 1.5 games behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South race due to already having their bye week.
With the Buccaneers being the reigning Super Bowl champs and firing on all cylinders, this matchup is expected to be different.
Ahead of what should be an intriguing NFC South battle between Tampa Bay and New Orleans, let’s take a look at my prediction for the contest and my favorite bets to place in the upcoming showdown.
Please note that all odds are current as of 12 PM EST on Friday, October 29.
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Buccaneers vs. Saints Prediction
The Buccaneers haven’t shown any signs of slowing down since winning the Super Bowl back in February. Led by Brady and a receiving corps of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Antonio Brown, Tampa Bay’s aerial attack has been of the best units in the NFL.
Running the ball with Leonard Fournette might be a tall task for the Buccaneers in Week 8 against the Saints, who have the No. 2 ranked defense in rush DVOA. But that shouldn’t be much of an issue, given that Tampa Bay would prefer to have the ball in Brady’s hands more often than not.
The offense of the Saints has been tough to gauge to begin the season with Jameis Winston under center. While New Orleans has a 4-2 record, Winston hasn’t exactly been the biggest reason why they are second place in the NFC South. One turnover on Sunday could be the difference between the Buccaneers or Saints coming out on top.
What Winston does bring to the offense that Drew Brees didn’t a season ago is the ability to challenge a defense down the field. Winston has never shied away from chucking the ball deep, whether it be a good decision or not.
It’s going to be loud at the Superdome in New Orleans, which is an environment that could cause some quarterbacks to struggle with. But with Brady being accustomed to nearly anything, I don’t believe he’ll have much trouble leading Tampa Bay to a victory over their division rivals.
Winston will make a late push against the hobbled secondary of the Buccaneers, but it won’t result in a win against his former team.
Prediction: Buccaneers 27, Saints 20
After an ugly win on Monday night, the New Orleans Saints look to get an edge in the NFC South against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8. (Image: USA TODAY Sports)
Buccaneers vs. Saints Best Bets
2021 NFL Betting Record: 1-5-0 (-4.09 units)
We finally got on the board, but when we officially get over this wall, it’s going to be glorious!
Best Bet: Buccaneers -4.5 (-110) at Caesars
Wager: 1 Unit
The Buccaneers come into this game having reeled off four consecutive wins following a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. Tampa Bay is beginning to look like a team that is well-positioned to defend their title as Super Bowl champions in the NFC.
Rob Gronkowski will have a chance to return to the field in Week 8, but Antonio Brown will miss out once again after both were sidelined in Week 7. Brown has missed two games this season, while Gronkowski hasn’t played a single snap since a Week 3 loss to the Rams.
On the defensive side of the ball, Bruce Arians believes Lavonte David could return after a two-game absence. With the Buccaneers being tasked with containing Alvin Kamara, having a healthy duo of Devin White and David would be a massive boost for Tampa Bay’s defense.
We could see a close game due to the defense of the Saints being a stout group, but Brady will make the necessary plays to get his first win over the Saints as a member of the Buccaneers.
Seeing that New Orleans is still finding their identity on offense, there’s an increased chance that Winston makes a crucial mistake that aids Tampa Bay’s efforts.
I’ll take the Buccaneers at -4.5 on Sunday, and I’d play it up to -6.5 points at 0.5 units as I expect the team with the better quarterback play to add another ‘W’ to the win column, making this my NFL pick of the day.
Best Bet: Buccaneers Moneyline (-220) at Caesars
Wager: 1 Unit
This is a pivotal game for the Buccaneers and the Saints as the NFC South could come down to one or two games when it’s all said and done. A win for Tampa Bay would extend their lead in the division, while New Orleans could inch even closer to potentially stealing the top spot in the division.
While it was pouring down rain on Monday night for the Saints, it’s hard to trust their offense on a weekly basis this season. Winston isn’t a terrible quarterback, but at any moment, he could make a game-changing mistake for the opposing team.
Brady isn’t a quarterback that fails to take advantage of mistakes often, so taking care of the football will be crucial for the Saints. In what could be a battle between one of the league’s best offenses against one of the league’s best defenses, I’m siding with the offense of the Buccaneers to prevail.
Thank you for reading our NFL Week 8 Buccaneers vs. Saints Predictions! For more NFL betting tips, check out our NFL Week 8 Parlay Picks.
