The Buccaneers won their first playoff game since Super Bowl XXXVII last Saturday night and are carrying their momentum with them into New Orleans as they get set to take on a familiar foe in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
They'll see the rival Saints for the third time this season, though it's been a while since these two teams last met. Back in Week Nine, the Saints handed the Buccaneers their worst loss of the season, a 38-3 blowout at Raymond James Stadium that most have tried to scrub from their memories. But not Tampa Bay. These players want to get the bad taste of losing out of their mouths and are looking forward to getting some semblance of vengeance on Sunday night in the Superdome.
"I love it because we're still playing," said Head Coach Bruce Arians on Friday. "You live for big games. Whether it's the Saints, the Rams – whoever is left – Green Bay, you're just happy to be playing and relish it. [You] get ready for a heck of a ballgame."
The game will once again pin two of the greatest quarterbacks the league has ever seen against each other. This time will be the first time Brady and Brees will meet in the postseason. And given the tear Brady has been on in the last few games, many experts see Brady being the one coming out of Sunday victorious.
See the full list of expert picks below.
- NFL.com, Greg Rosenthal – Buccaneers
- ESPN.com, Consensus – Buccaneers (split)
- USA Today, Consensus – Saints (split)
- ProFootballTalk, Mike Florio - Buccaneers
- SB Nation, Consensus – Buccaneers (split)
- CBSSports.com, Consensus – Saints (split)
