Bucs QB Tom Brady, Bucs WR Mike Evans and Saints CB Marshon Lattimore – Photo by: USA Today All of the playoff and division implications aside, this is always a highly anticipated matchup. There isn’t much love lost between the Bucs and Saints, divisional foes who have combined to win 12 of the 21 NFC South titles since the division’s establishment in 2002. The Saints will insist that the Bucs aren’t their rivals, but their constant denial of that may be enough evidence against their claims. The tide has turned in this series in recent years, too, as the Bucs are 3-0 against the Saints under Bowles and are in pole position to win a third straight NFC South crown after the Saints’ run of four straight from 2017-2020. Tampa Bay won the previous meeting between these two teams earlier this year as well, going to New Orleans in Week 4 and coming away with a dominant 26-9 win. Given that these two teams match up twice every year, this is a familiar foe for quite a few players on the Bucs’ roster. Here, we’ll dive into how some of the team’s longer-tenured players have fared in meetings with New Orleans over the years. One Top Receiver Has Been More Of A Thorn In The Saints’ Side Than The Other 
Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today Mike Evans’ run-ins with the Saints have been well documented. The 10th-year receiver and future Hall of Famer has been involved in a few altercations with New Orleans cornerback Marshon Lattimore over the years. The first was in 2017, when he blindsided Lattimore after the defender got into it with then-Bucs quarterback — and current Saints quarterback — Jameis Winston. That resulted in a suspension for Evans. Then, in 2020, there was a shoving match that resulted in a fine for Lattimore. Most recently, there was the incident in 2022 that resulted in ejections for both players and a one-game suspension for Evans. There won’t be another round of this rivalry on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, though, as Lattimore is on injured reserve. Outside of the altercations, Evans hasn’t fared all that well against New Orleans. The Saints are the NFC South team that he has seen the least success against, catching 58 of his 98 targets for 890 yards and five touchdowns over 18 games. His best game came on Sept. 9, 2018, when he went off for 147 yards and a touchdown on seven catches in a 48-40 Bucs win. He has just one 100-yard game against the Saints in his career, too, and he’s been held to two receptions or fewer six times in those 18 games. In half of the 18, he’s been limited to three receptions or fewer. 
Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR Chris Godwin has been far more successful against the Saints, nearly matching Evans’ production in six fewer games. Godwin has 61 catches on 98 targets for 832 yards and six touchdowns over 12 games against New Orleans. His first career touchdown catch was the game-winner in a Bucs victory over the Saints on New Year’s Eve 2017. So, this Sunday will mark the six-year anniversary of that career milestone for Godwin. He’s had quite a few impressive performances in this series, with one coming on Oct. 6, 2019, when he had seven catches on nine targets for 125 yards and two touchdowns (17.9 avg.). On Halloween 2021, Godwin had eight catches on 12 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown (17.5 avg.). He has four career 100-yard games against New Orleans and has totaled at least five receptions in seven of the 12 games against them. Godwin has also gotten the better of the Saints in recent meetings, posting 30 catches on 43 targets for 366 yards (12.2 avg.) and a touchdown in his last four games against them. A Few Bucs Have Disrupted Saints Quarterbacks Over The Years 
Bucs DT Vita Vea and Saints QB Derek Carr – Photo by: USA Today The Bucs haven’t always been able to stop the Saints offense, though they’ve done a better job of it in recent meetings. Back in 2021, the Saints scored just nine points when they visited Raymond James Stadium, though it was a 9-0 win. Last year, Tampa Bay beat New Orleans 20-10 and 17-16, and earlier this year, it was a 26-9 win for Todd Bowles’ team. One thing that the Bucs have had going for them against the Saints recently has been their ability to disrupt the quarterback. Shaq Barrett, who has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest, has four sacks and two forced fumbles in the nine times he’s played the Saints. Meanwhile, Vita Vea is coming off a performance in New Orleans earlier this year that saw him have his best game against the Bucs’ division rival. He finished with two sacks and a forced fumble in that 26-9 victory. Tampa Bay has also gotten some sack production out of its linebackers, with Bucs legend Lavonte David totaling 5.5 sacks against the Saints in 23 career games. It hasn’t just been good sack production for the longest-tenured Buc when he’s come across the Saints in his career. He also has 131 solo tackles, 20 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in those 23 games. Devin White, who has played New Orleans eight times, has a sack of his own as well. If the Bucs are going to get the job done and beat Derek Carr and the Saints offense on Sunday, they’ll need pressure from the front seven. Vea and rookies Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby are bound to be up to the task, but it would be nice to get something from Joe Tyron-Shoyinka as well in the absence of Barrett. He does have 1.5 sacks in five career games against the Saints. Bucs Secondary Hasn’t Gotten Its Hands On Enough Saints Passes 
Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR While the Bucs have been good at getting to Saints quarterbacks and wreaking havoc in the backfield in recent years, they haven’t done as well when it comes to getting their hands on the football when it’s in the air. That’s not just a trend with New Orleans, though, as Tampa Bay’s secondary has been poor when it comes to picking off passes for years now. Carlton Davis III, who won’t play Sunday, has seen the Saints nine times in his career and has no interceptions and just five passes defensed against them. He does have a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, however. As for those who will play, only Jamel Dean and Dee Delaney have interceptions off of New Orleans quarterbacks. Dean has two, with both coming in Week 2 of the 2020 season. But he only has three passes defensed in six career games against the Saints. Delaney, meanwhile, intercepted Jameis Winston in the Bucs’ win at the Superdome earlier this year. Antoine Winfield Jr. doesn’t have any interceptions in five meetings with New Orleans, and he only has three passes defensed. But he has gotten in on the sack action, with two quarterback captures in those five games to go along with four quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. It was evident how big an early turnover was in Tampa Bay’s win over Jacksonville last week, so if anyone in the secondary — or anyone on defense — can pick off Carr early on Sunday, it could go a long way toward the Bucs’ quest for a fifth straight win and a third consecutive NFC South title. The post Familiar Foes: How Have Bucs Fared vs. Saints? appeared first on Pewter Report. Source: https://www.pewterreport.com/familiar-f ... ed-saints/
