Week 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers preview: New Orleans Saints

Here's a look at the Buccaneers' second game of the 2022 season, as they take on the New Orleans Saints in a challenging matchup.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the New Orleans Saints today in New Orleans in a battle of 1-0 teams trying to seize control of the NFC South early.

The Saints, like Tampa, won their opening game of the season, but it was a one-point come-from-behind triumph over Atlanta. They rallied from a 16-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, but to be honest, they should never have been down when compared to Atlanta's quality level. Some people were probably surprised by the Saints' defense giving up 26 points and 420 total yards.

Regardless of the situation, the Saints always appear to be prepared for Tampa Bay.

Do you realize it's been nearly four years since the Bucs beat the Saints in a regular-season game? In this divisional matchup, the Saints have won the last seven games in a row. The previous time we faced them, Tampa Bay was completely shut out. We can't look past this game and assume an easy win since nothing in this game is guaranteed.

How do this year's teams compare?

Because of the injuries on our offensive line and their demonstrated pass rush ability, our offensive game plan will most likely revolve around establishing the run, short to medium passes, and occasional deep shots where we retain our running backs with Brady to block.

I know it's not the most thrilling game in the world, but these guys generate a lot of pressure and use it to produce turnovers, and we have to play smart with our offensive line down. Keeping Tom Brady upright is critical not only for this game but also for our season. The good news is that this is precisely where Atlanta's offense shined against the Saints.

Cordarelle Patterson gained 120 yards on the ground, averaging 5.5 yards per carrying. If our running backs have comparable success, we know Brady can be lethal when it comes to swiftly work through his progressions and assessing a defense. The ability to sustain the protection around Brady will be critical, especially if his blindside protector, Donovan Smith, is unable to play due to the elbow he hyperextended in last week's game against Dallas.

While their offense is on the field, the playing status of their star running back Alvin Kamara, who suffered a rib injury in their win against Atlanta, will be crucial. Kamara is a game changer for the New Orleans offense, both in the run game and as a receiving option out of the backfield. If Kamara is unable to play or is limited, the Saints will most likely turn to Mark Ingram II and Taysom Hill in a variety of ways to get the offense moving. It's also worth noting that Latavius Murray was recently signed to their practice squad.

Jamies Winston, their quarterback, is widely known to us all. Winston is a high-risk, high-reward quarterback, but he handled the ball admirably in Week One. In the first week, his main target was not the prime veteran Michael Thomas, nor was it the probable breakout rookie Chris Olave... Jarvis Landry was brought over from the Cleveland Browns. Our defense will need to put on a lot of pressure to compel Jamies to make mistakes.

Our secondary should be able to stay up with the Saints receivers, as it did against the Cowboys in a brilliant Week One performance, so creating pressure and limiting the run will be critical in forcing their offense to make stupid mistakes, resulting in turnover opportunities.

Will our pass rush rise to the occasion? Last week, Shaq Barrett had the highest pass rush victory rate% in the league, as indicated in the graphic below... So you can bet he'll be prepared!

While this is an away game that we must not neglect, I believe it is an excellent opportunity for us to end the skid that New Orleans has held against us!