The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will try to make it three wins in a row as they host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. The Saints have lost just two games all year, including one to the Bucs in Week 1 and last week’s loss at Dallas.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-7) VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (10-2)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1:00 P.M. ET
RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM (65,618)
NETWORK TELEVISION: FOX
PLAY-BY-PLAY: KENNY ALBERT ANALYST: RONDE BARBER SIDELINE: SARA WALSH 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 WON VS. CAROLINA, 24-17; NEW ORLEANS LOST AT DALLAS, 13-10

Publisher And Bucs Beat Writer Scott Reynolds
This game is incredibly tough to predict because of the weather. It’s supposed to rain and perhaps thunderstorm during Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. game between Tampa Bay and New Orleans. If it does rain, there is a chance that the passing is rendered ineffective for both teams and the team that has the best ground game might have the advantage. That would be the Saints, who have Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, as opposed to the Bucs with Peyton Barber. Tampa Bay’s offensive line has been inconsistent when it comes to run blocking all season and that could come back to haunt the Bucs on Sunday.

Tampa Bay will be without two safeties in Justin Evans and Isaiah Johnson, which means that rookie Jordan Whitehead and Andrew Adams, who was the hero in last week’s 24-17 win over Carolina, will have to start at safety with Josh Shaw in reserve. That’s not great news when it comes to facing Drew Brees, who is having an NFL MVP-caliber season for the 10-2 Saints. Tampa Bay is so banged up, especially on defense, compared to New Orleans, and that could be the difference on Sunday.

Can Jameis Winston continue to play turnover-free football like he has for the past two weeks? He’ll have to in order to have the Bucs prevail over the Saints. That might be a tall order as New Orleans’ defense is much improved over years past. The Bucs might need to score 28 points or more to have a chance at winning this game. Mark Duffner’s defense has been playing so much better at home, allowing just 16 points per game as opposed to the 38 points per game that Tampa Bay is allowing on the road. The Bucs surrendered 40 points to the Saints in Tampa Bay’s 48-40 win in Week 1.

So much has to go right in this game for the Bucs to win. It’s going to take the type of effort that Tampa Bay had last week against Carolina in order to win. That means a plus-3 turnover margin with several takeaways and sacks. The Saints are a much better team than the Panthers, so that’s a tall order.

Reynolds’ Score Prediction: Saints 26, Buccaneers 24
Reynolds’ Pick To Click: WR Chris Godwin

PewterReport.com Editor & Bucs Beat Writer Mark Cook
This is a statement game. A game in which a lot of wrongs this season can be made right. Dirk Koetter can go a long way in saving their jobs with a win. Jameis Winston can go a long way in determining his future in Tampa Bay with a win. The team overall can tell the rest of the NFL, that despite their disappointing record, they can compete and beat any team in the NFL.

The Bucs can make a statement. Will they? I have no idea, although I have tried to talk myself into predicting a Bucs win all week. But at the end of the day, the Saints are just a better – and a healthier – football team at this point in the season. When you compare the units on both teams the Saints win every category except wide receiver and perhaps tight end. So on paper this looks to be a decisive win, right? And it may end of being that. But I do think the Bucs come out playing as if there is nothing to lose and I think they throw everything they have into beating the Saints.

If Winston gets the type of protection that Ryan Fitzpatrick got in Week 1 at New Orleans, the Bucs will score their fair share of points. The problem is the offensive line is playing worse than they did on opening day back in September. If it can regain its mojo then this will be a back-and-forth game like the last one. If Winston and the Bucs offense stalls and falls behind early, all bets are off and expect New Orleans to breeze by the Bucs (pun intended). Tampa Bay can’t play the field goal game. They must be aggressive and perfect in the red zone. You can trade field goal for touchdowns against Sean Payton.

Drew Brees isn’t going to throw four interceptions like Cam Newton did last week. But can the Bucs create at least two turnovers, while not turning it over themselves? That will be the determining factor in who comes out on top as it was in Week 1 when the Bucs won the turnover margin and got a defensive score.

I’d like to pick the Bucs. I truly would. However, it is going to take more than a two-game late in the season winning streak to make me believe Tampa Bay can sweep the season series against the Saints.

Cook’s Score Prediction: Saints 27, Buccaneers 23
Cook’s Pick To Click: WR Mike Evans

Buccaneers Beat Reporter Trevor Sikkema
You can say many things about this Tampa Bay team. You can say the Bucs have been disappointing, that they’re promising, that they’re not what you hoped for, that they need change, that they’ve persevered, that they’ve never quit, that they have fallen short, that they’re the team of “what could have been.”

But you can never say they didn’t give you one hell of a season to follow, because, boy, they sure have.

The ups and downs of the 2018 season have been about as high and low as you can get, even for classic Buccaneers standards. A suspended quarterback, a benched franchise quarterback, a journeyman braking NFL records, franchise records and curses being broken, a coach firing. The only thing we missed was a weather game.

Oh no…

This week the Buccaneers might get that, and it might help them in the way they need it most. It’s schedule to rain at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon, as another small cold front hits the area; it’ll be a little bit windy, too. Because of that – come on, Trevor, don’t do this – I think the Buccaneers really have a chance.

It starts with the defense. The Bucs defense has been playing very well at home lately, and I think the less-than-ideal conditions will only help them. Drew Brees and company won’t be as sharp as they’d like, and that might give the Bucs a chance at some turnovers they’ll desperately need.

But I expect the defense to come out and play the Saints tough, what I don’t know what to expect is what’s going to happen on the offensive side. As will be the case with the rest of this season, the Bucs’ hope and dreams will rest on the shoulders of their quarterback. How careful he is with the ball while mixing it with a need to score is going to be the determining factor to whether or not the scoreboard will be in favor of the home team this weekend when it’s all said and done.

I don’t think it’s enough this weekend, but if they prove me wrong, all bets are off for the rest of the season, and they really might have a shot at this thing.

Sikkema’s Score Prediction: Saints 23, Bucs 20
Sikkema’s Pick To Click: QB Jameis Winston