BetUS $500 Match Bonus
Sign up for a new account with BetUS and deposit $500 or more to get a $500 match bonus!

$20 Free Play at Sportsbook.com
Your first bet is free when you open a new account at sportsbook.com!

Bucs Saints Predictions

Written September 4, 2008 by Jack Jones

An exciting NFC South battle will get under way on Sunday, September 7th when the New Orleans Saints welcome the Tampa Bay Bucs to the Superdome. Our detailed preview will get you ready for the game, as will our Bucs Saints predictions on the final score. The opening point spread at Bookmaker has the Saints as 3-point favorites with the total at 42.5.

Quick Payouts and Big Bonuses at JustBet!

The good news for football fans in New Orleans is they don’t have to watch their team go like they did in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina flooded the city and forced the Saints to play out their home schedule elsewhere. The city was evacuated as Hurricane Gustav made it’s way towards the shores, but the storm ended up not being as bad as first thought, going far enough west to spare the city.

The Saints had traveled to Indianapolis last week so they could continue practicing, but on Tuesday made the announcement that the game would go on in New Orleans as planned. The Saints did an excellent job after returning to the Superdome in 2006, beating Atlanta 23-3 on Monday Night Football on their way to a 10-6 season and the first NFC Championship game in the team’s history.

There were high expectations that more of the same would follow in 2007, but the Saints got off to a rough 0-4 start, being outscored 119-51 along the way. The offense finally found it’s stride, finishing with 27.3 ppg to tie for sixth in the league, but by that time the damage was done and New Orleans ended up at 7-9, sitting home come playoff time.

Quarterback Drew Brees will be in charge of getting this offense moving the ball downfield. Brees has now thrown for over 4,000 in each of his two seasons with the team, and has some talented targets to throw to, including the 6-foot-4 Marques Colston, who caught 98 passes for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2007. The team also added tight end Jeremy Shockey to give Brees another option, especially in the red zone.

Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister both are coming off knee injuries. Bush had to miss the final four games of 2007 but seems to be in top form. McAllister is coming back from his second knee reconstruction in three seasons but if his play in the preseason is any indication, he’s ready to go. Bet the Saints -3 at BetUS and get a 50% initial deposit bonus!

The Bucs took advantage of the down season by the Saints, sweeping the season on their way to a 9-7 record and an NFC South title. They did lose the wildcard game though to the eventual champions, the New York Giants.

Tampa Bay and head coach John Gruden is hoping that an aging defense and a 38-year-old quarterback in Jeff Garcia have enough left to keep them in the playoff picture this year.

One thing is for certain when you see Tampa Bay on the field, and that is the team is going to be tough defensively. Monte Kiffin has been there the last 12 seasons as defensive coordinator, leading the team to the fewest yards given up twice and ranking in the top 10 in the league ten times.

Garcia is trying to put some distractions aside. He was frustrated the team didn’t reward him with a new contract and that they seemed to actively be pursuing Brett Favre, but he knows it’s a contract year, so he can score a big payday by performing well in 2008. You can bet the Bucs +3 point spread at Sportsbook.com by loading up your account instantly via credit card.

Predicted Score: Saints 23, Bucs 20

Make sure you view the latest NFL odds via our feed, where you can compare the point spread provided by five of the top internet sportsbooks. Also, if you need help beating the betting lines our experts provide NFL picks that will help you win more money this fall.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!

Comments

Got something to say?