Buccaneers vs. Saints expert tips

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers end a long and unusual week in New Orleans with a game against the Saints at the Superdome on Sunday, October 13th. It's their second straight game against an NFC South opponent and an opportunity to land their first blow in the battle for the division title. To find out how to watch, listen and live stream the game, click here.

There is a strong consensus among national NFL analysts about Sunday's game, not only in terms of the final result, but also the factors that led to it. Derek Carr, the Saints' veteran quarterback, suffered an oblique injury in Monday night's loss at Kansas City and is expected to miss at least the next two games. That left the Saints with two young passers to choose from: 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener and fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler, both of whom would be making their first NFL starts. The Saints chose Rattler, and New Orleans' combination of an inexperienced quarterback and broken offensive line swayed public opinion toward Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers began the week as 2.5-point underdogs but became 3.5-point favorites after the Saints switched from Carr to Rattler due to injury. Experts seem to agree with this change. This is what some of them say:

NFL.com – Citing the Saints' QB move and O-line injuries, all five experts are picking Tampa Bay

ESPN.com – A whopping 11 analysts agree, and all are on the Buccaneers' side

CBSSports.com – Pete Prisco expects Bucs to get “back on track” in week six

USA Today – The Bucs get all three picks, but all three predicted outcomes are very close to each other

Bleacher Report – All eight analysts agree on Bucs pick

Pro Football Talk – Mike Florio and Chris Simms each predict a double-digit win for the Bucs

Sports Illustrated – Albert Breer calls Bucs and the rest of the MMQB team agrees

Sports News – Bill Bender notices Baker Mayfield's fast start, picks Bucs