3 keys to victory for Bucs vs. Saints

Here's how the Bucs can make it three road wins in a row.

The curious case of the 2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers has included a pair of home losses and a pair of road wins to start off the year. 

The Bucs have lost to the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants at home, while scoring pleasantly surprising victories over the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.

Here's how the Pewter Pirates can keep a good thing going on the road, this time in New Orleans against the division-rival Saints:

Deploy Devin White

After missing the past two games (and most of Week 2) with a knee injury, the Bucs get their first-round pick back Sunday. White has a rare combination of speed, athleticism, physicality and intelligence, skills that made him the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Those skills will be put to good use today, as the Bucs face one of the league's more versatile and dynamic running backs in Alvin Kamara.

White is also an effective blitzer, something defensive coordinator Todd Bowles should take full advantage of this week and beyond. Look for White to make up for lost time and make tons of plays against both the run and pass Sunday.

Keep Winning the Offensive Trenches

Last week, the Bucs won on offense by minimizing turnovers, making big plays, and churning out enough tough yards on the ground to beat the defending NFC champs. This week, they'll face yet another challenge with a Saints defensive line loaded with talent.

Cameron Jordan is one of the league's most complete (and yet somehow underrated) edge defenders, and will require the A-game of Bucs tackles Donovan Smith and Demar Dotson. The return of Sheldon Rankins will boost things in the middle for the Saints, but Tampa Bay's interior blocking was a pleasant surprise against Aaron Donald and company last week. They'll need to do it again if they want a similar result Sunday.

Defensive Discipline

Tampa Bay's defense has done a decent job at the "bend-don't-break" philosophy at times this year, and it'll be tested again Sunday. Teddy Bridgewater will start at quarterback for the Saints in place of an injured Drew Brees, and he's a big fan of taking short, high-percentage throws and letting his playmakers do the rest. With dynamic players like Kamara and Michael Thomas at his disposal, that's a successful endeavor more often than not.

This will test Tampa Bay's fundamentals and discipline on defense, as sure tackling, clear communication (especially in a hostile road environment), and clean execution will be key to making sure short completions don't turn into big plays.