On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints will face off in the NFC South.
Although in very different ways, both teams enter the game coming off disappointing losses.
Overnight and in the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers were held scoreless, resulting in their weekend defeat to the Browns.
However, in their loss to the 49ers in Week 12 for the first time in more than two decades, the Saints failed to score a single point.
With just a small bunch of games left in the ordinary season, this matchup comes at a central issue to figure out who could complete the year at the highest point of the NFC South.
The Buccaneers currently hold that position, but they are tied with the Atlanta Falcons (5-8) in terms of wins.
When the Ravens play the Saints, there are four things to keep an eye out for:
1. The teams have a long history together
Tom Brady, a quarterback for Tampa Bay, is 1-4 against the Saints (not including playoff games) since he left the New England Patriots for the Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season.
Brady has thrown eight interceptions in four games over the past two seasons thanks to New Orleans’ unique ability to force him into mistakes.
In addition, Tampa wide receiver Mike Evans and New Orleans cornerback Marshon Lattimore were ejected from the game after a shove sparked a fight between the two teams.
Late in that game, there was also a dramatic brawl.
2. Mistakes made by the saints have been costly
One consistent idea that should be visible in both New Orleans’ misfortune to Tampa recently and in their battles all through the season is the Holy people’s issues with beating themselves.
They are the worst team in the league in terms of turnover margin because their offense and defense are tied for the most turnovers (21 each) and the fewest takeaways (seven each).
Jameis Winston, the team’s starting quarterback at the time, threw three interceptions and lost four fumbles in the first game of Week 2 against the Buccaneers.
Running back Alvin Kamara also lost two fumbles in the shutout loss to the 49ers.
3. The Bucs’ offensive line remains weak
The Tampa Bay offensive line is one area where there has been a significant amount of turnover throughout the year on a team that has typically struggled with injuries at various points throughout the season.
After guard Ali Marpet retired and former guard Alex Cappa joined the Bengals in free agency, the line was reshuffled before the game even started.
Then, just days into training camp, center Ryan Jensen, who had just been signed to a big three-year deal in the offseason, suffered a serious knee injury and hasn’t played since.
4. Can either team initiate a run?
The Tampa Bay running attack started the season with 152 rushing yards in Week 1, but since then, they haven’t been able to get anything going.
Between Weeks 2 and 9, they haven’t rushed for more than 75 yards in any game, leaving them as the league’s last-ranked rushing offense.
However, the last two games have offered a glimmer of hope.
The offense gained a total of 161 rushing yards, which was a season-high, in the Bucs’ victory over the Seahawks in London in Week 10.
In addition, the Bucs gained 96 rushing yards in their game against the Browns.