Buccaneers-Saints Preview Capsule
TAMPA BAY (2-2) at NEW ORLEANS (3-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE - Saints by 6 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD - Buccaneers 2-2, Saints 2-2
SERIES RECORD -Saints leads 33-21
LAST MEETING - Saints beat Buccaneers 28-14, Dec. 9, 2018
LAST WEEK - Buccaneers beat Rams 55-40; Saints beat Cowboys 12-10.
AP PRO32 RANKING - Buccaneers No. 22, Saints No. 3
BUCCANEERS OFFENSE - OVERALL (27), RUSH (32), PASS (13).
BUCCANEERS DEFENSE - OVERALL (21), RUSH (1), PASS (31).
SAINTS OFFENSE - OVERALL (26), RUSH (19), PASS (24).
SAINTS DEFENSE - OVERALL (26), RUSH (20), PASS (24).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Teams split meetings last season with road team winning each. ... Buccaneers have won two of last three meetings. ... Buccaneers coming off scoring team single-game record 55 points on road vs. defending NFC champion Rams. ... QB Jameis Winston threw for 385 yards, four touchdowns, but also had INT returned for TD for third time this season. ... Winston has passed for at least 375 yards and three TDs in two straight. ... Bucs WRs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans each have four TD receptions, tied for first in NFL. ... Godwin, coming off 12-catch, 172-yard, two-TD performance, leads team with 26 receptions for 386 yards. ... Evans has 18 catches for 368 yards. ... Bucs LB Shaquil Barrett leads league with nine sacks, tied with Mark Gastineau (1984), Hall of Famer Kevin Greene (1998) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (2001) for most through four games of a season since 1982, when individual sacks became official statistic. Barrett needs one sack against Saints to join Greene as only players with 10 through five games. ... Bucs LB Lavonte David had 11th career INT last week, second most by LB in club history. ... Bucs defense allowing 2.93 yards per run and just 59.3 yards rushing per game, both league bests. ... Winston’s 1,167 yards passing tied for fifth in NFL. ... Winston’s nine TD passes tied for fourth in NFL, one behind league leaders Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Jacoby Brissett. ... Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater schedule to make third straight start in place of injured Drew Brees. ... Bridgewater has completed 70 percent or better in each of first two starts. ... Saints RB Alvin Kamara averaging 119.8 scrimmage yards to go with one TD rushing, one TD receiving this season. ... Saints WR Michael Thomas leads team with 34 catches for 361 yards. ... Since 2016, Thomas leads NFL with 355 receptions. ... Saints S Marcus Williams had second INT of season last week. Had two INTs all of 2018 season. ... S Vonn Bell led Saints with 10 tackles, had two fumble recoveries, forced fumble in Week 4. ... Bell leads Saints with 31 solo or assisted tackles, including two tackles for loss and has three of Saints’ four fumble recoveries this season. ... Fantasy Tip: Saints’ Thomas and Kamara present matchup problems for Buccaneers pass defense that ranks second to last in NFL after yielding 318.3 yards per game.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL