New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/19/2021

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Tuesday, Dec 14, 2021
Game Time: 8:20 pm ET, Sunday, December 19, 2021
Venue:  Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Where to Watch:  NBC

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Saints +11, Buccaneers -11; Over/Under:  46.5 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  Saints +11, Buccaneers -11; Over/Under:  46.5 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Saints +10.5, Buccaneers -10.5; Over/Under:  46.5 points
 

Season Record

New Orleans Saints:  6-7 (3rd place, NFC South)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  10-3 (1st place, NFC South)
 
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Al McMordie has had 9 straight winning NFL seasons (2012-2020)! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview and Analysis

 
Recent Form
New Orleans Saints:  won on the road on Dec. 12 against the New York Jets 30-9.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  won at home on Dec. 12 against the Buffalo Bills in overtime 33-27.
 
 
 

New Orleans Saints Analysis

The Saints are coming into this game with a 6-7 record overall and they are 4-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 4th divisional matchup of the year and they are currently 1-2 in their division games this season. They have lost 5 of their last 6 games but are coming into this one off of a win in their last game which snapped a 5 game losing streak that they were on. Their 5 losses in that span were against the Atlanta Falcons, the Tennessee Titans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bills, and the Dallas Cowboys while their win came against the New York Jets in their last game. Taysom Hill completed 15/21 passes for 175 yards in that one. Alvin Kamara had a nice day on the ground as he led the team in rushing with 120 yards and 1 touchdown on 27 carries while Hill also ran in 2 TDs himself. Nick Vannett led the receivers with 44 yards on 3 receptions. Demario Davis led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones. Kwon Alexander led the defense in sacks in that game with 2 while no one on the defense was able to come up with an interception in that one. They have scored 304 points in their 13 games this season averaging 23.4 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 285 points against them allowing 21.9 PPG. Their offense is averaging 319.4 YPG while their defense is allowing 339.5 YPG.
 
 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis

The Buccaneers are coming into this game with a 10-3 record overall and they are 6-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This is the 4th divisional matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 2-1 in their division games this season. Their last loss was against the Washington Football Team but they have gone on a 4 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the New York Giants, the Indianapolis Colts, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Buffalo Bills in their last game. Tom Brady completed 31/46 passes for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns in that one. Leonard Fournette had a nice day on the ground as he led the team in rushing with 113 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 carries while Brady also rushed in 1 TD in that one. Chris Godwin also had a nice day as he led the receivers with 105 yards on 10 receptions while Mike Evans had 91 yards and 1 touchdown on 6 receptions. Breshad Perriman caught the other touchdown pass in that one. Lavonte David and Antoine Winfield Jr. both led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 1 assisted one each. Devin White and Shaquil Barrett both recorded the only sacks in that game with 1.5 each while Richard Sherman came up with the only interception for them in that one. They have scored 410 points in their 13 games this season averaging 31.5 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 297 points against them allowing 22.8 PPG. Their offense is averaging 410.2 YPG while their defense is allowing 343 YPG.
 
 

 

Saints vs Buccaneers Prediction

The Bucs are coming into this game as an 11 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Bucs lost to the Saints a few weeks ago in New Orleans and they are still sitting on that loss waiting to get them back here. The Bucs have been playing very well in their recent games and have been scoring a lot of points on their win streak that they are on. The Saints started that game with Jameis Winston but that was the game he was injured in. Now that the Bucs will be prepared for the backup quarterback, they should have no problem stopping the Saints here with the way the Bucs have been playing on defense. The best bet to place in this game is on the Bucs to cover the spread here as this will turn into a blowout when the Saints cannot score any points but the Bucs just keep scoring.
 
Saints Buccaneers Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, December 19, 2021 (8:20 pm ET start time) is Buccaneers 38 Saints 16.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today.  And if you enjoyed this New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NFL predictions and previews.
 

NFL Betting Trends

 
New Orleans Saints: 8-2 O/U as a road underdog of 10.5 to 14 points. 34-20 O/U in a road game where the total is between 45.5 and 49 points. 8-3 O/U off a non-conference game. 5-1 O/U after having lost 2 out of their last 3 games. 6-3 O/U in the last 4 weeks of the regular season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 30-19 O/U in all games. 20-13 O/U as a favorite. 12-5 O/U as a home favorite. 6-1 O/U in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 23-13 O/U against conference opponents. 21-11 O/U when playing with 6 or less days rest. 12-4 O/U versus division opponents. 8-2 O/U revenging a loss where opponent scored 28 or more points. 
 

Key Injuries

 
New Orleans Saints:  P. Turner (DE) Out indefinitely - Shoulder injury. R. Ramczyk (T) day-to-day - Knee injury. K. Elliss (LB) day-to-day - Hamstring injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  G. Bernard (RB) Out indefinitely - Hip injury. J. Dean (CB) day-to-day - Illness. J. Watson (WR) day-to-day - Knee injury.
 

Notable Quotes

 
"This has been a tough stretch for this team. It's been a foreign thing, losing so many games. ... It's nice to get this win." - Taysom Hill on their win against the Jets in their last game.
 
 
"It was pretty cool. I'd rather it not come down to that, but in the end they all count the same. We've got to learn from it and move on. Next week we're playing for a division championship and that's pretty exciting." - Tom Brady after their win against the Bills in their last game.
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
New Orleans Saints
WR Callaway, Marquez 
WR Smith, Tre'Quan 
TE Vannett, Nick 
QB HILL, TAYSOM
RB Kamara, Alvin 
FB Prentice, Adam
 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR Evans, Mike 
WR Godwin, Chris 
TE Howard, OJ 
TE GRONKOWSKI, ROB 
QB BRADY, TOM 
RB Fournette, Leonard
 

Statistical Leaders

 
New Orleans Saints
Passing: J. Winston (1170)
Rushing: A. Kamara (650)
Receiving: D. Harris (523)
Touchdowns: A. Kamara (8)
 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Passing: T. Brady (4134)
Rushing: L. Fournette (778)
Receiving: C. Godwin (1054)
Touchdowns: M. Evans (11)
 
Coaches:
New Orleans Saints: Sean Payton (16th season)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bruce Arians (3rd season)


Amedeus Mastrangelo

About the Author:

Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

© 2024 Al McMordie's BigAl.com. All Rights Reserved.