TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-11) VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (11-4)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 4:25 P.M. ET
RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM (64,428)
NETWORK TELEVISION: FOX
PLAY-BY-PLAY: JUSTIN KUTCHER ANALYST: CHRIS SPIELMAN SIDELINE: JEN HALE BUCS RADIO: 98ROCK, FLAGSHIP STATION (WXTB-97.9 FM)
PLAY-BY-PLAY: GENE DECKERHOFF ANALYST: DAVE MOORE SIDELINE: T.J. RIVES
LAST GAME: TAMPA BAY LOST AT CAROLINA, 22-19; NEW ORLEANS WON VS. ATLANTA, 23-13

PewterReport.com Publisher & Bucs Beat Writer Scott Reynolds
Well, this certainly won’t be Dirk Koetter’s last game as Tampa Bay’s head coach, according to Rick Stroud’s report yesterday and Koetter’s acknowledgement on Bucs Total Access that the Glazers have assured him that he will coach the Bucs in 2018. I’ll have much more on that in Sunday’s 2-Point Conversion on PewterReport.com right after the Bucs’ season finale against the New Orleans Saints. Stay tuned.

It will be interesting to see how many people show up to the game on Sunday as the start time has been moved from 1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. to accommodate the NFC playoff race – the race that the Bucs have been disqualified from for about two months now. The Bucs vs. Saints game takes place on New Year’s Eve and will end somewhere around 7:30 p.m. unless there is overtime (God help us if that happens). Regardless of how late the game does end, you will have a new Pewter Nation Podcast to help ring in the New Year, so there’s that. Based on what I’ve seen on social media within the last 24 hours, the Glazers’ decision to retain Koetter for another year hasn’t been too popular, and I wonder how that will affect the size of the crowd.

On paper, this is still a Saints team that beat the Bucs 30-10 in New Orleans. The Saints have all the motivation of winning this game to claim the NFC South division title and get a home playoff game. The Bucs just want to win to snap a five-game losing streak and avoid going winless in the NFC South. They want to end the season on a positive note heading into the offseason, which is admirable. I just don’t think Tampa Bay has the horses to do it at this time.

I could list all of the things that the Bucs need to do to win this game, but you know they won’t happen. This team won’t run the ball effectively. This team won’t rush the passer effectively and put enough pressure on Drew Brees. This team won’t be efficient in the red zone. This team won’t win the turnover battle. They’ve failed in these areas enough to get to 4-11. So I’ll stay away from the X’s and O’s of this Bucs vs. Saints clash. If the Bucs win it will be the upset of the year in my opinion, and I would gladly welcome the surprise. Hey, I’m human. It’s going old writing about close loss after close loss after close loss after close loss after close loss. So why not another close loss for these fight-til-the-end Buccaneers?
Reynolds’ Score Prediction: Saints 27, Bucs 23
Reynolds’ Pick To Click: QB Jameis Winston

PewterReport.com Editor and Bucs Beat writer Mark Cook
Every year I cover this team it feels like the season gets longer and longer. This one started out hiding from a hurricane, and ended with a bizarrely timed announcement that Dirk Koetter will remain the head coach. With plenty of drama in between.

Now to the game on hand. As Scott Reynolds wrote, who has really any faith this game ends any different than the last five? The Bucs will struggle to run the ball, struggle to protect Winston, struggle to pressure Drew Brees and struggle to get off the field on third down. That is what we are left with in Week 17.

I expect the Bucs to fight hard and keep it close. Jameis Winston wants to finish 2017 strong and he will be motivated to get off his personal losing streak as the Bucs quarterback. I have no doubt Winston and the Bucs offense will move up and down the field. But what will they do in the red zone? Hopefully not flame out as they have done multiple games this season.

While I admire the fight the Bucs have shown over the last few weeks, shouldn’t that be expected? Fans don’t pay 50 percent of face value on their tickets late in the season. Why should they see a 50 percent effort from the team? This team better fight. This team better show pride. This team owes their fans that at the very least. Effort doesn’t cost a penny. Effort doesn’t even need talent. 100 percent effort should be the bare minimum.

If I am Sean Payton I am going right at this defense with the running game. Ingram and Kamara over and over and over. The Bucs defense is a wounded bunch who haven’t been great against the run all season. This game means something to the Saints and means nothing to the Bucs other than pride. How much pride do the Bucs have? We will see on Sunday.

Give me the Saints in the last minute as the disappointing season mercifully ends for the Bucs.
Cook’s Score Prediction: Saints 31, Bucs 30
Cook’s Pick To Click: DT Gerald McCoy