The PewterReport.com staff offers up our staff predictions weekly and welcome you to add your own. See who we think wins, how and why and what player for the Bucs will have an exceptional game.

PewterReport.com Publisher & Bucs Beat Writer Scott Reynolds
In my SR’s Fab 5 column I did a game-by-game prediction for the 2018 Bucs season to illustrate how I came up with my 8-8 forecast for Tampa Bay this year. Despite being 10-point underdogs, I picked the Bucs to upset the Saints in New Orleans o Sunday. There are actually quite a few Week 1 upsets that happen because not much is really known about NFL teams until they play a game or two and then the truth is usually revealed. Remember when the Bucs rolled into Atlanta and upset the Falcons in Dirk Koetter’s first game as head coach in 2016? My gut was telling me that the Bucs would get a surprise win over the Saints, who might be a little overconfident coming off a season in which they won the NFC South and the fact that their season opener is at home.

Then I learned about cornerback Brent Grimes’ groin injury Friday afternoon and by “gut feeling” almost turned into an upset stomach. Am I still going to pick the Bucs without Grimes – going up against the likes of New Orleans legend and future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees? (Gulp.) Yes, and I don’t know why.

Maybe it’s because I think it’s going to be a high-scoring game and I like the fact that the Bucs averaged about 28 points per game in the first three preseason games. Maybe it’s because I suspect the Bucs will go with a lot of two tight end sets to help protect Ryan Fitzpatrick from Saints blitzes and that Tampa Bay will counter with a healthy dose of Peyton Barber rushing the ball out of that two tight end set. Maybe it’s because I think Chris Godwin is going to go off again and have a 100-yard day to start the 2018 campaign.

Maybe it’s because I believe safeties Chris Conte and Justin Evans will help rookie cornerbacks Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart over the top and linebackers Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander will help them underneath. Maybe it’s because Alexander will blitz the A gap a lot along with interior rushes from Gerald McCoy and Jason Pierre-Paul that will bring pressure right in Brees’ face.

Or maybe I’m just dumb. We’ll find out Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Reynolds’ Score Prediction: Bucs 27, Saints 24
Reynolds’ Pick-To-Click: RB Peyton Barber

PewterReport.com Editor & Bucs Beat Writer Mark Cook
Oh boy. When the schedule came out just before the NFL Draft in April I said this is a definite loss. Then Jameis Winston was suspended and I knew for a fact this was a definite loss.

But then camp started, and the grizzly, long-bearded 25-year NFL veteran(okay, only 13-year vet) Ryan Fitzpatrick looked like a different player than we witnessed last season. Cool, calm and seemingly unfazed by much, FitzMagic had a heck of a training camp. From Day 1 of camp until his last pass in Week 3 of the preseason. All of a sudden I started to believe the Bucs could go into New Orleans and steal a divisional game from the Saints. Pretty much all preseason, I was convinced they had a pretty good shot. A revamped defense, tons of weapons offensively and finally a kicker, I talked myself into the Bucs starting 1-0.

Then my senses came back to me. The stuff someone obviously slipped in my caffeine- free Diet Sam’s Choice Mountain Lightning soda eventually wore off, and I am back to believing this is a loss. Now, can the Buc win? Sure. But they will need to play mistake-free football, something this team rarely does. Will this game be different? Hopefully, but they will need to earn my trust first.

I think the game is fairly close, and the Bucs should be able to hang with the Saints early on, maybe even into the fourth quarter, but the Bucs always seem to have a meltdown at some point when on the road against the Saints. New Orleans is the most experienced team, and as much as I hate to say it, better coached at this point.

Cook’s Score Prediction: Saints 28, Bucs 20
Cook’sPick-To-Click: TE O.J. Howard

PewterReport.com Bucs Beat Reporter Trevor Sikkema
I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready for real football to begin. All offseason we’ve talked about the additions, the moves, the decisions and now it’s time to see what they’re really about.

This team’s first test is tough — it would have been even with Winston. Anytime you have to go on the road and play in New Orleans, not to mention it being your first game of the season, you’re in for a tall task. The Bucs will need quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to play well, and by well I don’t even mean throw for 300 yards. Fitzpatrick just needs to play mistake-free football, and do enough to complement Peyton Barber and the Bucs running game. They’ll need to score more than 20 points, but that should happen naturally with all their offensive weapon if they limit the turnovers.

Where I think the game will really be won or lost for the Buccaneers will be on the defensive side. The Bucs have to get turnovers, which is tough on a guy like Drew Brees. It’s going to take an extra interception or an extra forced fumble for the Bucs to overcome a tough road opponent. The secondary is going to have to really step it up if they’re down Brent Grimes. Vernon Hargreaves will have the key matchup of the day against Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas. Yes, the increased pass rush will help, but Brees gets the ball out of his hand so fast that this isn’t the right game to really judge the front four. This is the game for the secondary to win it.

Mistake free on offense and mistake forced on defense. It’s a cliche, but they have to win the turnover battle by one or two to get it done.

Ultimately, I don’t think they do.

Sikkema’s Score Prediction: Saints 34, Bucs 17
Sikkema’s Pick-To-Click: CB Vernon Hargreaves