Buccaneers, Saints clash with early edge in NFC South race at stake

TAMPA BAY (2-1) at NEW ORLEANS (2-1)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

OPENING LINE: Saints by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Buccaneers 2-1, Saints 1-1-1

SERIES RECORD: Saints lead 39-24

LAST MEETING: Buccaneers won 17-16 at Tampa Bay on Dec. 5.

LAST WEEK: Buccaneers lost 25-11 at home to Eagles; Saints lost 18-17 at Packers.

BUCCANEERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (27), PASS (20), SCORING (T19)

SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (21), PASS (15), SCORING (25)

BUCCANEERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (12), PASS (124), SCORING (T9)

SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (10), PASS (8), SCORING (6)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Buccaneers plus-5, Saints plus-2

BUCANEERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Baker Mayfield leads the NFL in third down completion rate (78.1 percent) and has only turned the ball over once in three games. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft is with his fourth team in just over a year. He’s made one career start against the Saints, throwing for 170 yards and one touchdown without an interception to help Carolina beat New Orleans 22-14 in Charlotte last season.

SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Chris Olave has averaged just more than 100 yards receiving through New Orleans' first three games even as the Saints have generally struggled to move the ball consistently or get in the end zone.

KEY MATCHUP: Bucs WR Mike Evans against Saints CB Marshon Lattimore. These two are among the best in the NFL at their respective positions and have been at the center of more than one fight on the field that was bad enough to result in ejections and short suspensions.

KEY INJURIES: Bucs CB Carlton Davis III (toe) and rookie DL Calijah Kancey (calf) missed the past two games. A third defensive starter, CB Jamel Dean (shoulder) was injured last Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. A decision on their availability this week may not be made until game day. ... Saints QB Derek Carr (shoulder), CB Paulson Adebo (hamstring), RG Cesar Ruiz (concussion) and DB Jordan Howden (finger) all missed practices this week, while TE Foster Moreau (ankle) returned to practice on Thursday.

SERIES NOTES: The Buccaneers won both meetings in 2022 after the Saints had won the previous six in the regular season. Saints QB Jameis Winston was drafted first overall by the Buccaneers in 2015 and played five seasons in Tampa Bay before joining the Saints in 2020. Winston has started against the Bucs just once in 2021, but had a season-ending knee injury in the first half of that game, which the Saints went on to win.

STATS AND STUFF: The Bucs and Saints have combined to win the past six NFC South championships. With Tom Brady at quarterback, Tampa Bay won consecutive division crowns for the first time in 2021 and 2022. ... The Bucs were limited to 174 yards in last week’s loss to Philadelphia. Mayfield threw for 146 yards, one touchdown and an interception, the QB’s first turnover of the season. ... Bucs WR Mike Evans had his 700th career catch last week. He and Miami’s Tyreek Hill are the only players in the NFL with at least one TD catch in each of this season's first three games. ... Bucs S Antoine Winfield’s 10 sacks are a franchise record for a safety, as well as the most in the NFL by a defensive back since 2020. ... Bucs WR Chris Godwin had three catches for 32 yards last week, ending his club-record stretch of 16 consecutive games with at least five receptions. … The Saints can become the first team since the 1994-95 Cleveland Browns to allow 20 or fewer points in 12 consecutive regular-season games. … QB Derek Carr’s status was in doubt after he sprained his right (throwing) shoulder in Green Bay the previous week. Carr passed for 305 yards and a TD in his only home start this season, a 16-15 victory over Tennessee. … Carr’s career-high 513 yards passing in a game came against the Buccaneers when Carr was with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2016. … Winston completed 10 of 16 passes for 101 yards in relief of Carr last week. Winston has eight TD passes vs. three interceptions as a Saints starter in the Superdome. … Winston is Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in completions (1,563), yards passing (19,737) and TDs passing (121). … RB Alvin Kamara is set to make his 2023 debut after serving a three-game suspension in connection with a February 2022 melee in Las Vegas. … Kamara had 841 scrimmage yards and three TDs in seven home games last season. … Olave had eight catches for 104 yards in Week 3, his fifth career 100-yard game. Only Olave and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson have at least six catches and 85-plus yards receiving in each of the first three weeks of this season. … WR Michael Thomas has at least five receptions in each of his past eight games. … DE Cameron Jordan has 17 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in 24 games vs. the Bucs. Jordan also has a forced fumble in three of his past four games against Tampa Bay. … CB Alontae Taylor had a career-high five passes defensed, two tackles for loss and his first career sack in Week 3.

FANTASY TIP: With Olave and Kamara getting much of the attention from the Bucs' defense, TE Juwan Johnson or WR Rashid Shadeed could wind up with relatively high-production games.

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