Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints: Full Tampa Bay Game Preview

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get an opportunity to wash the awful taste of last week's blowout loss out of their collective mouths this week, as they head out on the road for an NFC South showdown with the New Orleans Saints.

Despite months of positive buildup and the hopeful expectations of ushering in a new era with rookie quarterback Jameis Winston, the Bucs were destroyed at home by the Tennessee Titans last week, falling 42-14 to open the season 0-1 after both teams went 2-14 last year.

As the Bucs look to put such an awful performance behind them, they'll have to face a Saints team that has bested them in the last seven straight meetings.

Bucs fans, here's everything you need to know heading into this week's division matchup.

Viewing Info

Date: Sunday, September 20

Time: 1 p.m. ET

Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans

TV: Fox

Week 1 Results and Recap

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Streak
Atlanta Falcons	1	0	0	1.000	26	24	W1
Carolina Panthers	1	0	0	1.000	20	9	W1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	0	1	0	.000	14	42	L1
New Orleans Saints	0	1	0	.000	19	31	L1

The 2015 season was supposed to begin with cannons firing, but it felt more like a sunken battleship by the end of Tampa Bay's 42-14 drubbing at the hands of the Tennessee Titans.

While Jameis Winston looked like a rookie making his first start for a team that went 2-14 last season, his first-year counterpart—Marcus Mariota—carved up the Bucs defense to the tune of four first-half touchdowns and a perfect quarterback rating.

Mariota needed just three quarters of play to destroy Tampa Bay, giving way to backup Zach Mettenberger to finish the game. Winston completed just shy of 50 percent of his passes for over 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns but threw two costly interceptions, including a pick-six on his first attempt.

The lone bright spot for Tampa Bay was tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who led the team with 110 yards receiving on five catches, hauling in both of Winston's scoring tosses.

Penalties and mental miscues on both sides of the ball plagued the Bucs throughout the game, as they were down 21-0 halfway through the first quarter and went into halftime looking at a 35-7 deficit. 

News and Notes

Bill Haber/Associated Press

McCoy Shares Friendship, Respect with Brees

They'll be competitors and opponents on Sunday, but off the field, Bucs defensive captain Gerald McCoy and Saints quarterback Drew Brees share friendship and mutual respect.

McCoy says Brees is meticulous in his preparation, according to Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com:

"

When I'm around him, when we're training, he doesn't always know it but I'm watching his every move. Everything he does is related to football. With his warmup, he has a ball in his hands. Everything is about his footwork, his eyes. Any drill he does, there's a fake throw at the end or he has a football or something. And he works smart. Not necessarily overly hard, but when he goes, he goes. He's probably one of the most—if not the most—in-shape quarterbacks in the league. I can almost guarantee it.

"

Sunday's game will feature two of the league's best at their respective positions, and it's clear McCoy realizes the Bucs will have their hands full with a competitor like Brees.

Saints Have Bucs' Number

In a series that spans four decades, the Saints are currently enjoying their longest winning streak against the Bucs, having taken the last seven straight contests.

But despite the Saints' recent dominance and Tampa Bay's inability to put together a solid streak against them, recent tilts between the two teams have been close, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com

"

With their current streak, the Saints have opened up a 29-17 record in an all-time series that began in a rather important fashion for the Tampa Bay franchise, as noted below. The Bucs have never won more than two in a row in the head-to-head affair, but they had taken six of the last nine before the current run by New Orleans. Even with the Saints' W-L dominance, three of the last four games have been decided by six points or less, including one overtime affair.

"

After last week's debacle, you can bet Tampa Bay fans would be thrilled to keep this game close with a chance to win it late.

Bucs Make Roster Moves

The shuffling at the bottom of Tampa Bay's roster continued this week, as the team brought back LB Orie Lemon to the active roster and added DT Derrick Lott, CB Isaiah Frey and LB Julian Stanford to the practice squad.

"I'm ready to go, to step in there like I never left," Lemon said of returning to the Bucs, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. "Those are the guys I fought with in the offseason, to see them go down like that, it hurt me."

Tampa Bay also waived WR Kaelin Clay—the team's sixth-round pick in the 2015 draft—along with TE Cameron Brate and T Martin Wallace.

Latest Injury News

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Player	Position	Injury
Mike Evans	WR	Hamstring
Danny Lansanah	LB	Ankle
Major Wright	S	Abdomen
Bruce Carter	LB	Ribs
Mike Jenkins	CB	Hamstring
T.J. Fatinikun	DE	Shoulder

*All injury information courtesy of Buccaneers.com. 

The Bucs have a more lengthy injury report this week, with quite a few key names that could have a significant impact on Sunday's game.

The best news of the week for Tampa Bay was Evans returning to practice, after the star receiver missed last week's game. He was still limited in Wednesday's practice, but his prognosis looks much better for playing this week than it did this time a week ago.

Fatinikun, Lansanah and Wright have yet to participate at all in practice this week, which could leave the Bucs incredibly thin at every level on defense. Carter and Jenkins were limited participants in Wednesday's practice, and considering the depth issues elsewhere on defense, I would expect them to be in the lineup on Sunday.

Top Matchups

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Bucs cornerbacks vs. Saints WR Brandin Cooks

Tampa Bay's secondary got embarrassed last week and will be looking for a rebound against New Orleans this week. It won't be easy, as the Saints offense sports one of the league's best, most experienced quarterbacks and an explosive playmaker in Cooks.

But while Cooks has the speed and quickness to make big plays, he can struggle with physical press coverage, which means the Bucs simply must get in his face at the line of scrimmage this week to disrupt his release. Johnthan Banks especially has the size and length to frustrate Cooks at the line, and the Bucs have to take advantage of this matchup by playing more press rather than soft Cover 2 "shell."

Bucs QB Jameis Winston vs. Saints secondary

The Saints are depleted in the defensive backfield, and considering the fact that Tampa Bay will likely have a difficult time stopping the New Orleans offense, Winston will have to take advantage of this weakness to keep up on the scoreboard this week.

A pectoral injury to safety Rafael Bush is just the latest chink in the armor of the Saints secondary, which will be even thinner than usual this week. If offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter can put Winston in a position to succeed with quick throws to circumvent Tampa Bay's protection difficulties, the rookie quarterback could end up bouncing back from last week's struggles in a big way.

Matchup X-Factors

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Bucs X-Factor of the Week: LB Lavonte David

Last week, Tampa Bay's entire defense was embarrassed by a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start. The Bucs' linebackers were beaten like a drum, both through the air and on the ground.

This week, the responsibility of that unit—and the entire defense—bouncing back falls on the shoulders of All-Pro Lavonte David, who just received a lucrative contract extension during training camp.

David and the rest of Tampa Bay's linebackers were routinely beaten by play-action fakes last week and missed countless tackles against a Tennessee running game that shouldn't have been that effective. This week, David must demand more of himself and his teammates as they face a much more experienced quarterback.

Prediction: Saints 41, Bucs 24

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

There was plenty of optimism from Bucs fans heading into Week 1, but it's nearly all gone after the team was shredded by the other 2-14 team from 2014. This week, expectations for Tampa Bay will be low, and with good reason.

The Bucs are still struggling to get consistent pressure on the quarterback, which means Drew Brees should have plenty of time to sit back and pick apart the Tampa Bay defense this week. The defense was beaten repeatedly by the play-action pass, so look for the Saints to keep that trend going this week as well.

New Orleans is weak on defense and incredibly thin in the secondary, so expect Tampa Bay's offense to have a better day than they did last week. Jameis Winston should enjoy a bit more success this week, but it won't be enough to overcome Brees and the Saints offense.

Final Prediction: Saints 41, Bucs 24