NFL Game of the Week: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints

It’s an NFC South showdown in New Orleans, Louisiana as the Buccaneers travel to play against the Saints in the Superdome.

The Bucs will be searching to have a bounce-back win after a heartbreaker last Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints are looking to shake off a three-game losing streak.

New Orleans started off the season 2-0, and a lot of fans thought they had the best offense in the league.

It has been a big struggle since, and an oblique injury to Derek Carr may make matters worse.

Filling in for Carr will be Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round pick out of South Carolina.

Rattler showed flashes during his college career but didn’t live up to the hype at Oklahoma.

He will be making his NFL debut this Sunday against a Buccaneer defense that will look to bounce back after a rough performance against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Bucs defense gave up a total of 550 yards last Thursday, including Kirk Cousins having 509 passing yards.

Against an offense that has shown flashes of greatness at the beginning of the year, the Saints are going to want to take advantage of a defense that may not be super confident heading into Sunday.

The Bucs will be looking for a much-needed win, because things do not get easier for them as we head into the middle portion of the year.

After the Saints this week, they host the Baltimore Ravens and play the Falcons again. They then will travel to play in Arrowhead to take on the Kansas City Chiefs, then come back home to face the San Francisco 49ers.

This gives the Buccaneers an even better reason to prepare their defense because they play high-powered offenses for weeks to come.

It may also be a next-man-up mentality for Tampa Bay, as top stars on their defense are listed as questionable.

Their top safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead are both listed as questionable heading into Week 6.

Both players were limited in practice, so if you’re Todd Bowles you’re hoping for the best.

As for the Saints, both of their top offensive weapons could be in question before game time.

Alvin Kamara and Rashid Shaheed were both limited in practice all week. Both of them are also hampered by injuries that could sideline them in this NFC South matchup.

Despite their defense potentially being banged up in the secondary, the Bucs are listed as -3.5 point favorites heading into Sunday.

This game is a big one this early on in the year, as the Saints would love to pick up a win against a division foe.

New Orleans is currently sitting one game behind the Falcons and Buccaneers, who are currently tied for the first-place lead.

Since the Bucs lost to the Falcons last week, they would need to win and the Falcons to lose in order to overtake them in the standings due to the tiebreaker.

A lot is on the line this week for these division rivals. Who will make the biggest stand in this NFC South matchup?

Find out on Sunday afternoon at the Superdome.

Ben Barker is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bsb5566@psu.edu.