The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have begun the three-day minicamp that will put a bow on their offseason program and will soon scatter to the four corners for a final bit of relaxation. As we anticipate the return of action with the start of training camps in July, we’re taking a look at each team the Buccaneers are going to face when the regular season arrives. From how those teams fared last year, to what they’ve done with the roster since, to some as-yet-unanswered questions – we want to get a better feel for what the Bucs will be up against this fall. Today’s focus is on the New Orleans Saints, the only team other than the Buccaneers that has won the NFC South in the last six seasons.
After investing heavily in former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in the offseason, the Saints went into 2023 expecting to compete for the division title again, and they were in the running until the last day of the season thanks to a strong stretch run. New Orleans matched the Buccaneers’ 9-8 record, but it was Tampa Bay that went on to the postseason (and came within a quarter of reaching its fifth conference championship game) while the Saints missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. The tiebreaking difference was the Bucs’ better record in common games.
The Saints got off to a fine start with close wins over Tennessee at home and Carolina on the road. However, they would drop four of their next five decisions, including a lopsided win by the Buccaneers in the Superdome in Week Four. Baker Mayfield lit up the Saints’ defense for three touchdowns and the Bucs’ defense held Carr and company out of the end zone all afternoon. Through four games, Carr had thrown just two touchdown passes against two interceptions and had been sacked 13 times.
New Orleans got back on track with consecutive quality wins of 38-27 at Indianapolis and 24-17 at home over the Bears. Carr completed more than 70% of his passes in both games and threw a total of four touchdown passes with no interceptions. But the Saints’ streaky season flipped back in the other direction with three straight losses sandwiched around a Week 11 bye. Two garbage-time touchdown throws by Jameis Winston made a 27-19 loss in Minnesota look better than it was, and the Falcons put a dent in their division title hopes with a 24-15 in Atlanta punctuated by Jessie Bates’ 92-yard pick-six off Carr.
Finally, the aforementioned run of four wins in five weeks put New Orleans back in the hunt….
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News…