Here we are again: The Saints and Bucs are set to face off. Tom Brady is still the quarterback on the opposing sideline, but a lot of the pieces for the Saints have changed.
Still, the recipe is similar, and the Saints will hope they can find it again to continue their 4-0 streak against the all-time great in their regular season matchups (we can all ignore that playoff tilt).
THE GAME | BUCS (1-0) at SAINTS (1-0)
- When: Noon, Sunday, Sept. 18
- Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Betting: Saints +2.5 (Caesars)
- TV: FOX
- Listen: WWL-AM 870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame: First Take with Jeff Nowak & Steve Geller (8-10 a.m.); Countdown to Kickoff with Kristian Garic & Bobby Hebert (10-noon)
1. Before frustrating QB. Tom Brady …
The first thing the Saints defense has to do is corral Leonard Fournette.
Fournette was one of the all-time great players ever in the Louisiana high school ranks at St. Augustine High School. He went on to have a superb career at LSU. His NFL career has been a bit of a rollercoaster. He fell out of favor in Jacksonville, but was a key to getting the Bucs to a Super Bowl two seasons ago and looked every bit of a star last week as the Bucs took down the Cowboys to the tune of 127 yards on 21 carries.
The Saints will need to keep him in check this weekend to win this game.
Getting pressure is a key, yes, but stopping the run is priority one.
The Bucs did watch that film of how Falcons all-purpose back Cordarrelle Patterson rolled up 120 yards on 22 carries on average of 5.5 per rush, not to mention a touchdown.
Stopping Fournette is the key this Sunday when playing the Bucs.
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2. Feed it to Can’t Guard Mike
Football is not about plays, but about players. As Kris Richard would put it: "It's not about Xes and Os, it's about Jimmies and Joes."
Michael Thomas proved last week to virtually everyone that he’s back. Now it's time to feed the big man.
After having some frustrating early moments and missed timing with Jameis Winston, not to mention some slips on the turf, Thomas got in a football groove. In the End his 5 passes when for 57 yards, but the biggest impact was the pair of red zone touchdowns that spurred his team to a 16-point comeback in the final 12 minutes.
Not bad, right? Definitely not for a player that hadn’t seen action since 2020.
Keep feeding the ball to Mike T … he’s back, and with a lot of people he's ready to prove wrong.
3. Better play up front
Last weekend we saw multiple breakdowns along the Saints offensive line. That was true in both the running and passing game. That changed a bit when they rolled out an up-tempo approach late in the game. But the Saints simply have to play better up front against a very stout Bucs defensive line.
Alvin Kamara is banged up a bit with a rib injury. His status will be important to watch this weekend. But there was leakage by defenders getting through gaps in the run game. And there was “heat” on Jameis Winston early and often in the passing game.
The Bucs have a much better defensive front 7 than the Falcons.
For a “W” Sunday, the Saints have to win more battles upfront offensively.
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4. Frustrate Brady
The Saints have beaten Brady and the Bucs 4 out of the last 5 times they've faced off because they have throttled the Bucs rushing attack. That's allowed the interior rush to be aggressive and made it difficult for Brady to step up in the pocket and push the ball downfield.
The Saints interior effectively blew up Brady’s launchpad.
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore has been like Velcro on star WR Mike Evans, and there is no Rob Gronkowski to worry about in this one.
Making Brady hesitant with his initial read and not allowing him to step up in the pocket is a big key for a win for the Saints over the Bucs.