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2022 Opponent Review: New Orleans Saints

2022 Opponent Review: New Orleans Saints


As training camp approaches for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and with it the unofficial start to the season, we are taking a closer look at the opponents on the team’s 2022 schedule. Next up is the New Orleans Saints, who draw the Buccaneers at home in Week Two, on September 18, before coming to Tampa for the Week 13 rematch on December 5. The latter game is the lone Monday Night Football contest on the Buccaneers’ 2022 ledger.

The Saints moved on from franchise quarterback Drew Brees in 2021, and while they saw their four-season run as NFC South champions snapped by the Buccaneers, they still finished with a winning record at 9-8. New Orleans started the season 5-2 with former Buccaneer Jameis Winston taking over for the retired Brees but then lost five straight following Winston’s season-ending knee injury in Week Seven. A strong 4-1 finish that included their second win over Tampa Bay got the Saints to within a tiebreaker loss for the final NFC playoff spot.

After Winston’s injury, and with gadget player Taysom Hill dealing with a concussion, the Saints turned first to Trevor Siemian but saw their playoff hopes fade with four straight losses. Hill did return to start five of the last six, missing one with a finger injury, and the Saints won four of those. However, Hill also suffered a foot injury in the season finale that would require offseason surgery. The Saints announced later in the offseason that Hill would play exclusively at tight end in 2022, with Winston expected to return to his starting role.

Running back Alvin Kamara continued to be the driving force in the Saints’ offense, especially with ultra-productive wideout Michael Thomas missing the entire season. Though he missed four games – which also contributed greatly to the team’s midseason slide – he averaged more than 100 yards from scrimmage per game and scored nine touchdowns. The Saints’ offense never really found a number-one pass-catching option in Thomas’s absence, though wideout Marquez…

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