NFC Divisional Round: Tampa Bay vs. New Orleans
A spot in the NFC title game is on the line in this battle between divisional foes.
Winner of this contest will advance to the NFC Championship Game next week in Green Bay. But in the facet of “game within a game”, you have two quarterbacks taking the field that has been two of the top quarterbacks in the league over the past 15 plus years. It is not often that you get a quarterback matchup of this magnitude with so much on the line. The two teams faced off twice during the season, of course, as division rivals. But the Saints dominated in both matchups against the Buccaneers and won both with a combined score of 72-26. However, the two teams have not met since early November and since then, the Bucs have caught their groove on both sides of the ball and look like a completely different team. This one is sure to be a back-and-forth affair that may give us an epic moment or two.
Time: Sunday, January 17th, 6:40 PM EST
Network: FOX
Buccaneers Keys To Victory
A Todd Bowles coached defense is one that has a foundation of being blitz happy. This season was no exception. The Bucs were second in the NFL in total blitzes by the defense (268) and fifth in blitzes called per dropback (39%). One thing about the Saints passing scheme is that it is timing based and in a lot of situations, Saints QB Drew Brees looks to get his passes off within his first or second read. The Bucs will be tasked to disrupt that and their aggressiveness by getting after Brees can impact the overall flow of the Saints offense.
The passing element for the Bucs can be an explosive one and can put a game out of reach if you’re not careful. The Bucs were first in the NFL in explosive pass plays (15 yards or more) with 74. Quarterback Tom Brady is strapped with offensive weapons and with that deep arsenal, he was third in the league in passing plays of 20 yards or more and tied for fourth in plays of 40 yards or more.
Saints Keys To Victory
Speaking of explosive plays in the air, the Saints are one of the best in the league in pass defense, ranking fifth with 215.5 yards allowed per game. On the season, they have not allowed a 300-yard passer all season long. Included in that success was limiting the Bucs to 224 (Week 1) and 186 (Week 9) passing yards in their two meetings. This is a defense that also limits opposing completion percentage (2nd, 60%) They have the capability to bottle up a passing game and just about eliminate it.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara is a Swiss-Army knife as a weapon within the Saints offense. He is coming off a career-year in rushing yards (932), rushing touchdowns (16), and receptions (83). It was also his best season in terms of total yards per scrimmage (1,688). Also, when targeted, he has garnered a 107.3 QB rating. Getting him involved early is a common occurrence by the Saints approach on offense. Nothing needs to change this time around.
Prediction
Third time is the charm for the Buccaneers right? Maybe, maybe not. In both games this season, the Saints have been able to get things going on offense early and has made life for Brady really tough.
But I reiterate that the last matchup between the two teams was the very first game for receiver Antonio Brown as a Buccaneer and at that time of the season, Tampa Bay was still figuring things out on offense. By this point of the season, they are on the same page and have played their best ball as an offense over the last month or so.
The Saints are rested of course. However, you have to realize that beating Tom Brady for the third time in a handful of months is a task that sounds way easier than it actually is. Both quarterbacks will have to do some heavy lifting with both defenses having elite run defenses. It’s playoff time. Right now, my money is on the quarterback that has six Super Bowl rings and is playing his best football of the season.