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BUCCANEERS at SAINTS

WHEN: Sunday, October 26, 2025 | WHERE: Caesars Superdome | KICKOFF: 4:05 p.m. ET | TV: FOX

PLAY-BY-PLAY: Kenny Albert | ANALYST: Jonathan Vilma | SIDELINE: Megan Olivi

RADIO: 98 ROCK 97.9 FM | PLAY-BY-PLAY: Gene Deckerhoff | ANALYST: Dave Moore | SIDELINE: T.J. Rives

Game day is approaching, and it’s time for the Pewter Report staff to make its weekly game predictions and offer up our game preview of this week’s matchup. Let us know what you think in the article comments section and add your prediction, too.

Scott Reynolds: Tampa Bay Cruises To Win Heading Into The Bye Week

The Bucs didn’t show the maturity to handle the expectation that comes with being the media darling as the NFL team atop most power rankings heading into the Monday Night Football game at Detroit. Tampa Bay wasn’t ready to wrestle NFC supremacy way from the Lions and greatly underperformed in a 24-9 loss. But the Bucs are 5-2 and still tied for having the best record in the NFC. They’re still a game ahead of the 4-3 Panthers in the NFC South. A win over division rival would keep them atop the NFC South heading into a much-needed bye week.

I see Baker Mayfield rebounding from a poor game in Detroit on Sunday in New Orleans. But he’ll need to be very careful with the ball. He had a lot of errant passes against the Lions and was out of sync all game. The Saints have picked him off more than any other team since he joined the Buccaneers in 2023. Mayfield has 12 touchdowns against New Orleans, but also seven interceptions in four games, including three last year. The recipe for success on offense will be to run the ball against a suspect Saints run defense that is allowing an average of close to 130 yards per game. New Orleans surrendered 222 yards last week at Chicago.

Defensively, Todd Bowles can’t let Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave to get behind coverage. New Orleans has struggled to run the ball this year, and with Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy now on injured reserve that will be even more difficult. If Tampa Bay can effectively contain Alvin Kamara on the ground and in the screen game, then the pass rush can tee off against Spencer Rattler who had two interceptions last week. The game will be close at halftime before the Bucs pull away in the second half to improve to 6-2.

REYNOLDS’ GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 30, Saints 16
REYNOLDS’ SEASON RECORD: 5-2

Matt Matera: Bucs Take Last Week’s Frustrations Out On Saints

Baker Mayfield has added fuel to the fire to the Bucs and Saints rivalry with his comments on Wednesday, but I don’t see this game as much as the bitter rivalry and more of the Bucs letting off some steam after having a bad loss the week before in Detroit. Tampa Bay is more talented than New Orleans and should defeat them soundly, but odd things happen when these teams get together.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I’m expecting a bounce back game from Baker Mayfield after a poor performance, and it’ll be receiver Emeka Eguka leading the way with help from the Johnsons – Tez and Kameron – plus Sterling Shepard. If the Bucs really want to win, though, they must run it better. The Bucs talked about including Sean Tucker more, so we’ll see if he can break off a big play.

It got overlooked with how bad the offense was last week, but Tampa Bay’s defense didn’t play too bad. They allowed some explosive plays, and they’ll have to watch out for Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but they should be able to disrupt New Orleans’ offense. Look for Vita Vea and Elijah Roberts to cause issues up front. I’m curious if Jamel Dean can grab another interception, or if Zyon McCollum can get his first of the season. Inside linebackers Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis need to show up. If they do, they’ll win without too much of an issue.

MATERA’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 28, Saints 20
MATERA’S SEASON RECORD: 5-2

Adam Slivon: Bucs Get Feel-Good Road Win Before Bye Week By Beating Saints

Before the Bucs head on a bye week, they first will take on the Saints for the first time this season down in the bayou. For Tampa Bay, there is no better time to have a bounceback game – for more reasons than one. They are looking to get the taste of losing out of their mouths after their defeat on Monday night against the Lions, and facing a 1-6 New Orleans team they do not like is a chance to convincingly win and get some much-needed time to rest. That is by no means saying they should count their pesky rival out but beating them will feel just as good as any other victory.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RB Sean Tucker – Photo by: USA Today

Looking at Sunday afternoon’s game, the Bucs are facing a different Spencer Rattler. Settling in during his second year under center, Rattler has become much more efficient under the tutelage of Kellen Moore. Rattling him by sending pressure is a recipe Todd Bowles will surely cook up, as the Saints still lack the offensive firepower to keep up.

Alvin Kamara is no longer the electric running back he once was, although he might see a heavy workload with Kendre Miller suffering a torn ACL. Chris Olave is coming off a season-best performance, but he will match up against a Tampa Bay secondary that is the strongest part of this defense with the way Jamel Dean and Tykee Smith have been playing. Outside of them, it will be a struggle to move the ball downfield – if Bowles’ unit can prevent Rattler from settling in.

Offensively, I expect a heavy dose of running the football after it was abandoned in Detroit. Rachaad White and Sean Tucker should help even out the balance, with all eyes on Tucker and whether he will get more carries and repeat his historic performance last season. Establishing the ground game will help Baker Mayfield build confidence and sustain longer drives, although it will be another test with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., and Jalen McMillan out for the foreseeable future. Still, there is enough resilience in this group to predict a win that would have the Bucs sitting at 6-2 with sights set on gearing up for a playoff run in the season’s second half.

SLIVON’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 31, Saints 16
SLIVON’S SEASON RECORD: 5-2

Bailey Adams: Bucs Close Out Season’s First Half With Bounce-Back Win

Much like the Lions bounced back from their frustrating loss to the Chiefs in Week 6 to beat them in Week 7, the Bucs are going to bounce back from that Monday night loss in Detroit by taking it to the division rival Saints for a win that would get them to 6-2 ahead of their bye week. A victory sets the table for some positive vibes during the week off and given the injured players who could be making their way back following the bye, it could also set the stage for a strong run as the second half of the season begins.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Saints QB Spencer Rattler – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In past years, I feel like that loss to the Lions, especially with the way it unfolded, could spiral and send the Bucs on a slide. But this year’s team feels different, and I don’t see Baker Mayfield taking kindly to the performance he and the offense had in Week 7. I like that side of the ball to come out with a vengeance at the Superdome and take out their frustrations on the Saints defense. This feels like a big Emeka Egbuka game, and that will open up opportunities for guys like Sterling Shepard and Tez Johnson, too. Plus, I can see Tampa Bay’s run game finally getting back on track and helping the visitors control possession.

I think the Bucs defense will do its part, too. This is a unit that is prone to giving up a big play here or there, but for the most part, it’s also a unit that is playing solid football this year. The pass rush will miss Haason Reddick, but Yaya Diaby is on fire right now and Vita Vea is due for another sack on Sunday. Not to mention, Spencer Rattler is coming off a three-interception game and I think this defense has developed a nose for the football with a run of takeaways. Give me two or three more on Sunday as Todd Bowles and Co. cruise to their most lopsided win of the season thus far.

ADAMS’ GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 33, Saints 17
ADAMS’ SEASON RECORD: 6-1

Josh Queipo: Scrappy Saints Give Bucs A Fight Like A Division Rival Would

The Bucs may be facing the best 1-6 team in the league when they travel to New Orleans this week. And for all the talk about how the Saints don’t see Tampa Bay as a true rival coming from their fan base, the Saints seem to step up when the two teams meet. New Orleans actually had the lead at halftime in the Week 6 matchup last year before Tampa Bay poured it on in the second half.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

Despite a general lack of talent the Saints are playing hard and generally sound football. The Bucs would do well to create unforced errors. And that starts with making up for the loss of Haason Reddick by leaning into their blitz tendencies and trusting the Bucs cornerbacks to limit the Saints’ two star receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. But Spencer Rattler has one of the higher time to throws and lower EPA/dropbacks against the blitz this year.

Josh Grizzard has stated he wants to find balance and run the ball more. The Saints feature a decent run defense but struggle to contain the pass. Using play action to set up the run is an area I hope the Bucs use to create a solid ground attack. And while Grizzard likes to go big game hunting in the passing game, it’s the short-to-intermediate area of the field that is where the Saints struggle most. A high focus on tight end Cade Otton and slot receiver Sterling Sheppard can be the key to success.

QUEIPO’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 24, Saints 16
QUEIPO’S SEASON RECORD: 6-1