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NFL Predictions: New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
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Written by Scott Burgess
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Friday, 05 September 2008
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 Hurricane Gustav isn’t going to stop the New Orleans Saints from playing their home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday September 7. New Orleans city councilman Arnie Fielkow said the Saints' impending return "is just tremendously uplifting news, not only for the residents of New Orleans but for residents of the entire gulf coast. ... I would fully anticipate that the Superdome is going to be rocking and rolling." Even better news is that NFL Oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have the New Orleans Saints as -3 point home favorites over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the over/under set at 42 ½ points. Get your NFL Predictions: New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers in now at Sportsbook.com
The New Orleans Saints got off to a bad start last season going 0-4 and getting outscored 119-51. They eventually turned things around and averaged 27 points per game over their last 12 battles. But it still wasn’t enough as their slow start and defensive woes ended their season at 7-9. Now QB Drew Brees looks to build on his back to back 4,000 pass yard seasons. He’ll have his favorite WR Marques Colston to throw to; he caught 98 passes for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2007. RB Reggie Bush is healthy after a knee injury forced him to miss the last four games and FB Deuce McAllister is looking good after his knee surgery. They added a nice addition to their offense by stealing four-time Pro Bowl TE Jeremy Shockey from the NY Giants.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hoping that third time’s a charm as they’ve beaten the Saints twice, straight. The Bucs bread and butter is that they’re able to shut down their opponents offense. The Bucs have allowed the fewest yards in the NFL twice, and they’ve ranked among the Top 10, 10 times in 12 seasons under defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Their defense may be getting old, but 10 time Pro Bowl LB Derrick Brooks insists his crew are ready to rumble. QB Jeff Garcia is back at the helm looking to better his 2,440 passing yards and 63% completion rate.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Over is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.
- Buccaneers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 meetings in New Orleans.
- Buccaneers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
- Underdog is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 meetings.
- Road team is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
NFL Predictions: New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When: Sun, Sept 7, 2008 1:00 PM ET
Line: Sportsbook.com
Pick: Tampa Bay +3
Point-Spreads.com NFL Predictions: New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Tampa Bay +3 The Bottom Line: Defense wins games and Tampa’ all about defense. The Bucs have beaten them twice before, so they know what to do. Get your NFL Prediction: New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers in now at Sportsbook.com and receive a 10% reload on every deposit!
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 September 2008 )
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