Bucs vs. Saints Pregame Report - Week 2

A look at how to keep up with and follow all of the Bucs-Saints action in Week 2, with some storylines to pay attention to.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
Sep 18, 2022 8:49 AM EDT

In this story:

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 2 has seven noon kickoffs, with the main draw arguably being inside the Superdome when the Bucs and Saints face off. Tom Brady and company comes to town for a big NFC South showdown. The winner will stand undefeated and atop the division in the early part of this season, but will see each other again in December during prime time. Here's all you need to know about this one until we get to kickoff.

All-Time Series: The Saints lead the regular season series 39-21, and have won the past seven matchups. Tampa has a playoff victory over New Orleans from the 2020 season.

Where to Watch: FOX (12:00 p.m. CT), Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews (field reporter), and Tom Rinaldi (field reporter)

Where to Stream: FuboTV (Start Your Free Trial Here), Saints App, FOX Sports Go

Where to Listen: WWL Radio locally (105.3FM) with Mike Hoss, Deuce McAllister, and Steve Geller (sideline reporter); SIRIUS: 137 (TB), 82 (NO) | XM: 380 (TB), 227 (NO)

Referee: Shawn Hochuli

Current Lines: Bucs -2.5 (O/U at 43.5)

Jersey Combo: Black Jerseys, Black Pants

Last 5 Matchups

12/19/21 - Saints 9, Bucs 0
10/31/21 - Saints 36, Bucs 27
1/17/21 - Bucs 30, Saints 20 (NFC Divisional Playoff)
11/8/20 - Saints 38, Bucs 3
9/13/20 - Saints 34, Bucs 23

Broadcast Map (via 506sports): The projected broadcast is in red, as most of the viewing area will get this game. CBS has the double-header on Sunday.

Bucs vs. Saints Projected in Red
506sports

Saints Storylines

WILL KAMARA PLAY? First and foremost, Alvin Kamara enters this game as questionable with the rib cartilage injury. He didn't practice on Thursday or Friday, which is rarely a good sign. Even if Kamara does play, the question about his usage comes into play. We talked about Tony Jones Jr. being more of a focal point in this game, especially since Mark Ingram (ankle) and Dwayne Washington (hamstring) also enter this game as questionable. As always, we'll see, but things don't exactly sound optimistic.

DEFENSE VS. TOM BRADY: This is a chess match of sorts. Both sides will be down key players, and a lot of the faces have changed in the secondary from last season. This ultimately comes down to how well the Saints can confuse and disrupt Brady. The pass rush is going to have to be stellar, while also having to keep Leonard Fournette in check. After a rough outing against the Falcons to start, New Orleans settled in a good bit and were a huge reason the team was able to come back. Let's see if that was just a bump in the road or the defense that we expect comes through.

DOMECOMING: The Superdome is expected to be electric, especially with the returns of Jarvis Landry and Tyrann Mathieu in this one. This probably feels like either or both could lead a 'Who Dat Chant' to kick this game off. If you're attending the game, then be sure you familiarize yourself with the new changes to not miss it. Expect a crazy atmosphere from Saints fans.