Bucs aim for 5th straight win, 3rd consecutive NFC South title against division rival Saints

NEW ORLEANS (7-8) at TAMPA BAY (8-7)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, FOX

OPENING LINE: Buccaneers by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Saints 4-10-1; Buccaneers 10-5.

SERIES RECORD: Saints lead 39-25.

LAST MEETING: Buccaneers beat Saints 26-9 in New Orleans on Oct. 1, 2023.

LAST WEEK: Saints lost to Rams 30-22; Buccaneers beat Jaguars 30-12.

SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (T21), PASS (12), SCORING (T13).

SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (25), PASS (7), SCORING (9).

BUCCANEERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (30), PASS (17), SCORING (T17).

BUCCANEERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (7), PASS (32), SCORING (11).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Saints plus-4; Buccaneers plus-10.

SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: Second-year receiver Chris Olave has had 94 or more yards receiving in four of his past five games, including a season-high 123 yards last week.

BUCCANEERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Baker Mayfield has thrown for 3,598 yards and 26 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions. He's completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,010 yards, nine TDs against one interception during the four-game winning streak that's carried Tampa Bay back to the top of the NFC South.

KEY MATCHUP: Buccaneers LB Devin White and Tampa Bay's defensive front against Saints dynamic RB Alvin Kamara. Kamara has the ability to give defenses fits in the running and short passing game. White, who is among the Bucs' leading tacklers and had his second interception this season last week, will be a key figure in stopping Kamara.

KEY INJURIES: Saints RT tackle Ryan Ramczyk (knee) has missed two straight games and missed some practice time this week. Rookie DE Isaiah Foskey was practicing on a limited basis this week as he tries to play for the first time in four weeks. Olave has been playing through an ankle injury that continued to limit him at practice this week. ... Bucs LB Shaquil Barrett (groin), CB Carlton Davis (concussion) and TE Ko Kieft (shoulder) were injured during last week's win over Jacksonville. Their status for Sunday may not be determined until game day.

SERIES NOTES: Tampa Bay has won the past three meetings, four of the past six overall. The Saints captured four straight NFC South titles from 2017-20. The Bucs won the only playoff game between the franchises on the way to winning the Super Bowl three years ago and can clinch their third consecutive division crown with a victory Sunday.

STATS AND STUFF: Saints QB Derek Carr passed for 319 yards and 3 TDs with one INT last week. … Carr is one of two QBs, along with C.J. Stroud of Houston, with six 300-yard passing games in 2023. … Carr has three TDs passing in two straight games. … Carr has 3,417 yards passing in 2023, making him the third NFL QB all time (along with Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson) with 3,000 yards passing in each of his first 10 NFL seasons. … RB Alvin Kamara leads all running backs with 73 catches. Kamara has 1,111 scrimmage yards this season, his seventh straight 1,100-yard season. … WR Chirs Olave caught nine passes last week in his eighth career 100-yard game. Olave has a career-high 81 catches for 1,041 yards receiving, his second straight 1,000-yard season. … WR Rashid Shaheed had his fourth TD receiving of the season last week. … DE Cameron Jordan has 10 1/2 sacks in 12 games at Tampa Bay. … DE Carl Granderson has career highs in sacks (8 1/2) and TFL (13) in 2023. … LB Demario Davis has 108 tackles in 2023, his seventh-straight, 100-tackle season. He needs just one tackle for loss for his seventh straight season with at least 10. … CB Paulson Adebo led his team with a career-high 10 tackles last week. Adebo’s has 16 passes defensed. … S Tyrann Mathieu has broken up a pass in each of his past two games. ... Bucs WR Mike Evans has 73 receptions for 1,163 yards and a NFL-leading 13 touchdowns. He had two TD catches last week, joining Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison and Randy Moss as the only players in league history have at least 12 TD receptions in a season five or more times. ... Bucs RB Rachaad White ranks third among NFL running backs in yards from scrimmage (1,380) and yards receiving (507), fourth in receptions (56) and 10th in yards rushing (873). ... Rookie LB Yaya Diaby leads Tampa Bay with 6 1/2 sacks. ... S Antoine Winfield is the only player in the league since 2000 to have 100-plus tackles, 10-plus passes defensed, five-plus sacks and five-plus forced fumbles in the same season.

FANTASY TIP: Bucs WR Chris Godwin had eight receptions for 114 yards in the Week 4 meeting between the division rivals. He has six-plus catches each of the past four times he's faced the Saints and is 108 yards shy of his fourth 1,000-yard season in the past five years.

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