Will Baker Mayfield Lead Buccaneers To Another Win Against The Saints?
We've Provided Our Saints vs Buccaneers Pick With Analysis For Week 17's Matchup
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to continue their hot stretch with a home game against the New Orleans Saints.
Just a month ago, it seemed like Tampa Bay was heading towards the couches by mid-January. Now they’re 8-7 after a four-game winning streak and leading the NFC South in the NFC standings.
As long as the Buccaneers win the final two games, they’ll win the division behind Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
However, it won’t be easy. They’re facing a divisional rival in the New Orleans Saints, who are 7-8 on the season. A win against the Buccaneers would have the Saints and Buccaneers tied at 8-8.
With the Atlanta Falcons also at 7-8, Atlanta could also be tied with the Saints and Buccaneers if the Falcons win and Saints win.
You get the gist. This game has a lot of playoff implications for Week 17.
With Tampa Bay being the home team, the Buccaneers are -2.5 (-118) against the spread. Meanwhile, the total is at 42, with both sides at -110. You can get the Buccaneers at -148 and the Saints at +126 on the moneyline heading into the week.
Check out our Saints vs Buccaneers pick and plenty of analysis for this game below.
New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Day/Time:
Location: Raymond James Stadium
Stream FOX
Saints vs Buccaneers Trends
Before we give out our Saints vs Buccaneers pick, let’s look at the trends.
The Saints last played Thursday and lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 30-22 as four-point underdogs. They’re now 4-10-1 against the spread this season and have watched the Under hit in ten of 15 games this season.
The Saints are also 3-5 on the road this season.
On the other hand, the Buccaneers are 4-3 at home and have gone 10-5 against the spread. The Under has also hit in nine of 15 Tampa Bay games this year.
The Buccaneers defeated the Saints on October 1, 26-9 as 4.5-point underdogs. With the win, the Buccaneers have won three straight against the Saints dating back to last NFL season.
Is Dennis Allen On The Hot Seat?
Saints fans expected more this season.
The Saints are sitting at 7-8 with Derek Carr at quarterback, a terrific defense, and tons of offensive firepower. However, things just haven’t worked out.
Carr has thrown for 3,417 yards and has 19 passing touchdowns to eight interceptions. But his season started off slow and he continues to make major mistakes in critical moments.
Meanwhile, Alvin Kamara started his season suspended. However, Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller never really stepped up in his absence. Those two were also hurt earlier in the season.
Add on Michael Thomas’ injury and the earlier injury to Chris Olvave, and the Saints haven’t really had a fair chance this season. Every team goes through injuries, but the Saints never really had a full roster of NFL players on offense this season.
Despite that, Saints fans have already had enough of Dennis Allen as head coach. The Saints are 14-18 since he took over. However, when the Saints had Drew Brees and Sean Payton, the fanbase wasn’t used to losing.
It’s been a cultural shock with this Saints squad. But with that, USA Today reported that Allen is in a good spot and won’t be fired after this season.
Baker Mayfield’s Turnaround
Baker Mayfield was written off a long time ago when he was quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
Last season, he got a small chance with the Los Angeles Rams when Matthew Stafford went down. He showed glimpses of his old self, but never truly looked like a starting caliber quarterback.
However, the Buccaneers took a chance on him when Tom Brady retired. It’s clear now that they made the right decision.
Mayfield has thrown 26 passing touchdowns with eight interceptions this season. He’s made Mike Evans another 1,000-yard receiver in 2023 and had instilled confidence in the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay has won four straight games and just blitzed an eight-win Jaguars team, 30-12 last weekend.
Mayfield has some incentives in his contract including $1 million if the Buccaneers win the NFC South in the NFL standings 2023. There’s also a report that Mayfield and the Buccaneers share mutual interest for a return in 2024.
All of these reports and incentives just mean that everything has been smooth in Tampa Bay recently. The offense has added at least 29 points in three straight games, which is a remarkable feat for any offense.
Does Rivalary Game Mean Under?
When we talk about rivalry games, we typically suggest taking the Under because both NFL teams know each other well.
However, the Saints have added at least 22 points in each of their last four NFL games and the Buccaneers have scored at least 20 points in each of their last five games.
Both offenses have been much more consistent in the second half of the season.
There was a time when Derek Carr had just six passing touchdowns in seven starts. Now he’s added three passing touchdowns in each of his last two games. He’s increased his passing touchdowns to 19 and has 3,417 yards passing.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers’ tandem of Mayfield and Mike Evans is serious on offense. Evans has 13 of the 26 passing touchdowns from Mayfield this season.
It’s funny to think that earlier this year, Evans wanted to be traded. But that’s likely changed over the course of the season.
While New Orleans has shown off a solid secondary this year, the pass rush is weak and the run defense hasn’t stepped up much either. I don’t trust New Orleans anymore on offense.
Therefore, our Saints vs Buccaneers pick includes an NFL point spreads pick with the Buccaneers at -2.5 (-118).
For NFL odds, NFL standings, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
