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

The New Orleans Saints will try to end their four-game losing streak Sunday, as they invade Raymond James Stadium to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New Orleans (4-8) hasn’t won a game since November 1, and to say coach Sean Payton’s club is reeling right now would be a vast understatement.

The Saints are coming off tough loss at home last Sunday, when they fell to the undefeated Carolina Panthers by a field goal. The narrow defeat to the division-leading Panthers came on the heels of two consecutive lopsided losses, and New Orleans is now on the verge of dropping nine games for a second season running.

Sunday’s opponent, Tampa Bay, started slowly, posting a 3-5 mark over the first half of the season. Coach Lovie Smith’s squad has come on as of late, however, and the Buccaneers (6-6) have been victorious in three of their last four outings.

Tampa Bay won the earlier meeting between these two, besting the Saints 26-19 back in Week 2.

Come Sunday, New Orleans will look to establish the same offensive rhythm it found last week against the Panthers. Drew Brees and Co. had struggled in the Saints’ two previous games, but they managed to put up 31 points against a formidable Panthers defense.

On the other side of the ball, the Saints will be taking the field for the third time since the firing of former coordinator Rob Ryan, but their No. 32-ranked defense is still searching for answers.

Read on for a preview of Sunday’s NFC South matchup, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT on Fox.

Week 13 Recap

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The Saints weren’t given much of a chance heading into last week’s matchup with the mighty Panthers, but Payton’s squad made a game of it in front of a lively crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The home team eventually fell, 41-38, but not before giving the NFL’s last remaining unbeaten record all it wanted.

New Orleans got out to a quick start, grabbing the lead with Brees’ 14-yard first-quarter touchdown strike to Benjamin Watson.

The Saints added to their lead just before the end of the opening quarter, as linebacker Stephone Anthony stripped Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart and returned the fumble 31 yards to paydirt, giving New Orleans a 14-0 lead.

Carolina then took control and went on a 27-2 run, as quarterback Cam Newton shredded the Saints’ struggling defense with both his arm and his legs. The MVP candidate finished the game with 380 offensive yards and five touchdown passes.

With the Panthers leading 27-16 in the third, New Orleans clawed its way back into it. Brees hit Brandin Cooks on a deep post route for a 54-yard touchdown, and he connected with Brandon Coleman for another scoring strike in the fourth.

After Carolina regained the lead, 34-31, Mark Ingram powered across the goal line for a nine-yard touchdown run with just over five minutes remaining.

The Panthers then put together an impressive 75-yard drive that spanned over four minutes, and they scored the game-winning touchdown on a Newton strike to Jerricho Cotchery with 1:05 to go.

New Orleans was unable to answer on its ensuing drive, and Carolina escaped with the “W.”

Mark Ingram out for Season

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The Saints received a major blow on the injury front this week, as running back Mark Ingram was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.

According to Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com, New Orleans placed Ingram on injured reserve Wednesday afternoon.

The fifth-year back tallied 1,174 yards of offense and six rushing touchdowns this season.

He rushed for a team-leading 769 yards on 166 carries, and he established himself as a formidable receiving threat out of the backfield with 50 receptions for 405 yards.

With Ingram out, look for veteran running back Tim Hightower to see an increase in carries. But with Tampa Bay boasting the league’s seventh-ranked rush defense, the Saints will likely take to the air quite often this Sunday.

Injury Report

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The Saints have been plagued by the injury bug all season long, and they’ll be dealing with several significant injuries once again this week.

New Orleans posted its Wednesday injury report on its official site, NewOrleansSaints.com, and five Saints—including several starters—missed the workout.

Terron Armstead

The starter at left tackle, Terron Armstead has been hampered by a knee injury in recent weeks. He missed last Wednesday’s workout, as well, and he was limited in practice for the rest of the week before being cleared to play last Sunday against Carolina.

Look for the same treatment for Armstead this week, as the Saints try to get him as healthy as possible before game time.

Delvin Breaux

New Orleans’ top cover man, first-year NFL player Delvin Breaux, finds himself on this week’s injury report with a hamstring issue.

Before suffering the injury, the former CFL star made an exceptional play in last week’s game when he intercepted Cam Newton. The Saints will undoubtedly need his services against the Buccaneers Sunday.

John Jenkins

Starting defensive tackle John Jenkins missed last week’s contest with a concussion, and he was a no-go again on Wednesday.

The 359-pounder has started 10 games for New Orleans this season, and he’s recorded 41 tackles. Jenkins was replaced by Tyeler Davison in the lineup last week, and if he’s unable to go Sunday, the rookie will likely get the nod once again.

Brian Dixon

Second-year cornerback Brian Dixon came on in relief of the injured Breaux last week, but now he joins the latter on the injury report (abdomen).

With the Saints already banged up at the corner spot, Dixon’s availability in the secondary could prove to be a big plus come Sunday afternoon. He recorded three tackles and forced a fumble last week against the Panthers.

Marques Colston

Old hand Marques Colston also sat out Wednesday’s workout, although his absence was officially listed as not injury related. The 10-year veteran has been held out of Wednesday workouts for the latter half of the season, and the Saints are likely giving him some much-needed time to rest and recover.

Meanwhile, five other Saints were limited in Wednesday’s practice, including linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who’s been out of action since Week 7 with a hip injury.

Guard Jahri Evans (ankle), defensive end Bobby Richardson (hamstring) and wideout Willie Snead (calf) were also limited, as was offensive tackle Zach Strief (shoulder).

Key Matchups to Watch

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Saints Offensive Line vs Buccaneers Front Seven

While much of the credit for Tampa Bay’s No. 9-ranked defense goes to its talented linebacking corps, the Buccaneer defensive line also poses quite the challenge to the Saints’ fourth-ranked offense.

Led by defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, the Tampa Bay defensive front has given New Orleans major difficulties in recent meetings. The Saints will have to provide Drew Brees with better protection than they did in the teams’ earlier matchup, when he was sacked four times.

As for the aforementioned Tampa Bay linebackers, they’ll be without starting middle ‘backer Kwon Alexander, who’s set to begin his four-game suspension this week. Veteran and former starter Bruce Carter is certainly capable as a replacement, however, and with his physicality, he’ll serve as a nice complement to the speedy Levonte David and Danny Lansanah.

There’s no doubt the Saints will butter their bread through the air, but in order to achieve some balance, however slight, New Orleans must establish a semblance of a running game.

With Ingram out, Tim Hightower and C.J. Spiller will carry the load, and center Max Unger and the New Orleans offensive line will have hold their own up front.

New Orleans Cornerbacks vs Tampa Bay Wide Receivers

Tampa Bay fields the No. 2 rushing attack in the league, and there’s no question the Bucs will look to pound the ball between the tackles against New Orleans.

The matchup on the outside will also be critical, however, as the injury-riddled New Orleans secondary attempts to corral a couple of physically imposing receivers.

With 54 catches for 850 yards on the season, Mike Evans has clearly become the favorite target of rookie quarterback Jameis Winston. The 6’5", 230-pound wideout poses a daunting challenge for the Saints cornerbacks, especially with the game-time statuses of the injured Delvin Breaux and Brian Dixon uncertain.

Brandon Browner has been a liability for the Saints on the outside, and with the Bucs boasting another 6’5", 230-pound receiver on the other side in Vincent Jackson, New Orleans could be in dire straits at the corner position.

Enter rookie Damian Swann, who hasn’t seen extended playing time since suffering his second concussion on November 1 against the New York Giants. The fifth-round pick was impressive earlier in the season, and now that’s he’s no longer listed on the injury report, there’s a good chance he’ll see lots of action this week against Jackson and Evans.

Prediction

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After dropping a heart-breaker to the undefeated Panthers at home last Sunday, the Saints will have to pick themselves up and take to the road for another divisional battle.

When factoring in the fact that New Orleans has lost four straight, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to many if the Saints come out flat and uninspired this Sunday.

After all, the loss of Mark Ingram will only serve to cripple an already stagnant running game, and the defensive injuries—especially in the secondary—will be extremely tough to overcome.

The Buccaneers are a solid football team on both sides of the ball, and they’re playing with a lot more confidence than they were earlier this season.

Brees and the Saints will find the end zone through the air, but they won’t be able to go on the road and outscore a Buccaneers squad that looks to be hitting its stride.

Buccaneers 28, Saints 24