The Tampa Bay Buccaneers broke the New Orleans Saints' stranglehold on the NFC South in 2021, winning the division after their Louisiana neighbors had locked it down four seasons in a row. However, the Buccaneers didn't exactly solve their Saints problem.

That problem is a seven-game losing streak to the Saints in the regular season, dating back to the second half of 2018 and including the four contests with Tom Brady at the helm of the Bucs' offense. Tampa Bay did win the most important game in that span, a 2020 Divisional Round matchup that was part of the team's run to a Super Bowl LV title, but otherwise the Saints have prevailed seven times by an average score of 30-15.

So that's the history coloring the Bucs' preparations for their first of two potentially critical matchups with the Saints this season. And even though it's only Week Two it's already a battle for first place. While the Bucs steamrolled the Cowboys last Sunday night to start out 1-0, the Saints got to the same record in a much different way, with a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat Atlanta by one.

Over the past two seasons the Saints have seen the departure of the two figureheads of a decade-and-a-half of oversized success. Quarterback Drew Brees retired after the 2020 playoff loss to the Bucs and Head Coach Sean Payton surprisingly chose to walk away this offseason. However, the Saints have not taken that as a prompt to start rebuilding and get into a more comfortable salary cap position; instead, they continue to be in win-now mode behind new Head Coach Dennis Allen and Brees replacement Jameis Winston.

For instance, the Saints lost standout safety Marcus Williams to a big deal from the Ravens in free agency and saw their other starting safety, Malcolm Jenkins, retire. Rather than rely on young players, the Saints reloaded in the back of their secondary by signing Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye. And after a 2021 season in which their passing attack slipped to last in the NFL rankings, New Orleans signed veteran Jarvis Landry and spent a lot of draft capital, through several trades, to land Chris Olave at pick number 11.

As such, the Saints still have the makings of a very stingy defense and should be much more than The Alvin Kamara Show on offense. New Orleans allowed the fourth fewest points in the league in 2021 and ranked seventh in yards allowed and fourth against the run. The Saints didn't log a sack against Atlanta in Week One but Cameron Jordan remains a menace on the edge and David Onyemata is one of the league's most underrated players in the middle of the defensive front. Linebacker Demario Davis has quietly evolved into one of the NFL's best off-ball linebackers and the Saints' secondary, led by Marshon Lattimore, is loaded with talent and aggressive playmakers.

The Saints' offense is likely still rounding into form behind Jameis Winston, who performed well and capped his turnovers during the first seven games of 2021 before getting hurt in a game against the Buccaneers. Winston and his new-look receiving corps had -2 net passing yards at halftime of their game in Atlanta but turned it up in a big way in the second half. Still, this could be a defensive struggle if Tampa Bay's defense performs anything close to the way it did in Dallas in Week One. New Orleans' offensive line, almost always one of the team's biggest strengths, gave up four sacks to the Falcons and no longer features Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's defense, led by Devin White, had four sacks of their own in Dallas and only allowed 244 yards and 12 first downs to what had been a high-scoring team in 2021.

After Sunday, the Bucs and Saints won't meet again until the first week of November, and by then the division-race picture should be much clearer. Either team can strike the first blow in that race on Sunday, and the Saints will have home field advantage in what is sure to be a raucous Superdome environment.

Head Coach Todd Bowles, however, said the crowd has nothing to do with the Buccaneers' struggles in New Orleans.

"It's not crowd noise," said Bowles. "They just beat us. We don't have any excuses. We just have to go down there and play a better ballgame."

The Buccaneers and Saints were frequent opponents in the '70s, '80s and '90s when the NFL's annual game schedule was heavily influenced by the previous year's standings. They became even better acquainted when the league changed its scheduling format to a divisional rotation in 2002, after a 32nd team was added and the NFL realigned into eight four-team divisions. The Buccaneers left their old NFC Central haunt that year to join the new NFC South, which also drew in the Saints, Panthers and Falcons. That meant two games against the Saints every year, of course.

The Buccaneers own the win in the only postseason meeting between the two teams, as they defeated the Saints in the Divisional Round in 2020 by a 30-20 score in the Superdome on the way to the Super Bowl LV championship. That proved to be the final game in Drew Brees's illustrious career, as he retired a few months later.

However, Tampa Bay hasn't won a regular-season game in the series since the opening week of 2018, with the Saints taking the next seven. New Orleans also scored at least 28 points in five of those seven games, including a 36-27 decision in New Orleans on Halloween last year. The exception was a 9-0 blanking the Saints delivered at Raymond James Stadium last December, marking just the second shutout for either team in the series and the first since a 41-0 win by New Orleans in 2012. The roughest game for the Buccaneers in that stretch came on a Sunday night in November of 2020 at Raymond James Stadium, with the Saints rolling to a 38-3 decision that was easily Tampa Bay's worst game on its way to that Super Bowl title.

Overall, the Saints hold a 39-21 edge in the all-time series, which was first contested in 1977. That initial meeting is famously the first win in franchise history for the Buccaneers, who left New Orleans on December 11 of that year with a 33-14 victory that snapped a franchise-opening 26-game losing streak. The Bucs still had a 3-2 edge in the series by the end of 1982, which would also prove to be the end of the franchise's first run of playoff seasons. The Saints took control of the series by winning six straight in the mid-'80s.

Since they became division mates, the Bucs and Saints have squared off 40 times, 26 of them going in favor of New Orleans. The two teams had a run of season splits from 2015-18, and it wasn't just a matter of the each club holding serve on home field advantage. The Buccaneers actually won at New Orleans in 2015 and 2018, as noted above. That 2018 game was a 48-40 decision that set an NFL record for most combined points in a Week One contest.

Weirdly, the Saints beat Tampa Bay twice in that first NFC South season in 2002, even though the Buccaneers would win the 2002 division title on their way to victory in Super Bowl XXXVII. Those two games represented half of the Bucs' losses that year. In a minor bit of payback, a 2-12 Bucs team beat a 13-1 Saints team in the penultimate week of the 2009 season, before the Saints would go on to win their first Super Bowl. The Saints also won both games in 2020 in the regular season, in another Buccaneers championship campaign.

Cracking the Code – You already read this up top and you will surely hear it repeated multiple times before Sunday's game: The Saints have had the Bucs' number for the past three seasons. New Orleans has won all six regular-season games between the two teams since the arrival of Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles (and one year in, Tom Brady), a streak that has become burdensome. Tampa Bay has gone 30-10, postseason included, since Brady's arrival, and four of those 10 losses have come to the Saints. Said Todd Bowles: "They've pretty much solved us the past couple times we've played them and we've got to find a way to crack that code." There have been some similar issues in all four of the Bucs' losses to the Saints in the Brady era, namely turnovers, penalties and sacks. In those four games the Saints hold an 11-2 turnover advantage, the Buccaneers have committed 28 penalties to 17 for New Orleans and the Saints' defense has 13 sacks to Tampa Bay's four.

Jameis vs. the Bucs, Part 2 – The first-overall pick in the 2015 draft, Jameis Winston played five seasons for the Buccaneers and finished as the franchise's career leader in most passing categories. He generally ranked among the league leaders in passing yards but also had a high number of interceptions and did not get a chance to play in the postseason in Tampa. After the Buccaneers signed Brady, Winston joined the Saints and spent one season as Drew Brees's backup. He got the nod to start last season after Brees rode into retirement and led his team to a 4-2 start while noticeably cutting down on his turnovers. Unfortunately, his seventh game, which the Saints also won, was his last one of the season as he suffered a season-ending knee injury on a scramble against the Buccaneers. Hopefully the second meeting between Winston and his first team will not include an injury; of course, the Buccaneers do hope it includes some turnovers. Winston has a more robust receiving corps to distribute the ball to after the team drafted Chris Olave, signed Jarvis Landry and watched Michael Thomas return from two injury-marred seasons. After a very first slow half for that group in Atlanta on Sunday, Winston caught fire in the second half and finished the game with 269 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Of course, Tampa Bay's defense also got off to a very strong start in Week One, so this could be a clash of two strengths.

Drawing the Line – There was, understandably, concern about the Buccaneers' revamped offensive line coming into the season – though, notably, not nearly as much of it inside team headquarters as outside of it. The team's confidence in a trio of new starters between tackles Donovan Smith and Tristan Wirfs paid off, at least for one game, was the offensive front put on a powerful performance in Dallas. The rushing attack produced 152 yards and 4.6 yards per carry and Tom Brady was only occasionally pressured, mostly on two second-quarter third-down sacks by the indomitable Micah Parsons. Veteran trade acquisition Shaq Mason fit right in at right guard and the young players at center and left guard, Robert Hainsey and Luke Goedeke, were impressive in their first NFL starts. If this proves to be the start of a trend, the Buccaneers' offense could be as good as last year's attack, and perhaps a bit more versatile with a stronger rushing attack. Of course, this week Tampa Bay faces the NFL's fourth-ranked run defense from 2021 (albeit one that gave up 201 yards to the Falcons on Sunday), and they may have to do it without stalwart left tackle Donovan Smith. Smith is dealing with an elbow injury and could miss a start for just the second time in his career.

Who Will Be Special? – Another area in which the Saints have generally found an edge on the Bucs in the past three seasons is special teams. And New Orleans faces one of the NFL's best punt and kickoff return men in Deonte Harty, giving them a potential advantage in the field position battle. Things could be different this year, however, if the Buccaneers' first game is a harbinger of things to come. The Buccaneers ranked 30th in kickoff coverage in 2021 but were outstanding in that department in Dallas against another of the league's career returners, the Cowboys' KaVontae Turpin. The Buccaneers forced an average drive start of the 18.8-yard line on kickoffs against Dallas, the best mark in the NFL in Week One. With young players K.J. Britt and Cade Otton making big contributions, the Bucs' punt and kickoff cover squads were excellent, and rookie punter Jake Camarda showed off a very big leg. In addition, kicker Ryan Succop made four of his five field goals, including 47 and 44-yarders and punt returner Jaelon Darden got nine or 10 yards on all three of his runbacks.

Receiver Shuffle – Tampa Bay's depth chart at wide receiver is absolutely loaded with proven high-end talent, from Mike Evans to Chris Godwin to Russell Gage and Julio Jones and more. The question is, when will the Bucs be able to deploy all those weapons at the same time. That top quartet did all open the Week One game in Dallas but Godwin left before halftime with a hamstring injury and the team's Week Two injury report makes it clear he wasn't the only one who got nicked up. All four of those receivers plus Breshad Perriman were on that injury report and Godwin, Gage and Jones were all held out of practice on Wednesday. The Buccaneers signed Gage and Jones specifically to guard against the kind of talent drain that hit their receiving corps due to injuries (and Antonio Brown's departure) late last season. They didn't necessarily think that depth would be tested so early and so deeply this season. it will likely be a central storyline all week – which of the Bucs' seven receivers will be healthy enough to suit up on Sunday and how will Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich deploy them?

1. Buccaneers WR Julio Jones vs. Saints CB Paulson Adebo/Bradley Roby

Julio Jones has proclaimed himself to be fully healthy after two seasons of dealing with nagging injuries in Atlanta and then Tennessee, and the Buccaneers didn't hold back in his regular-season debut with the team. Jones played 52% of the offensive snaps and provided the biggest play of the game, a 48-yard catch shortly before halftime that set up a Buccaneer field goal. Jones basically ran a straight vertical route, reaching a max speed of 26.2 miles per hour and blowing past cornerback Anthony Brown. With Chris Godwin likely to miss Sunday's game with a hamstring injury and Mike Evans dealing with his own quad issue, Jones is likely to see even more action and be more of a focal point in the offense in Week Two. The Saints like to shadow Evans with Marshon Lattimore, which means Jones is going to see a lot of the other outside cornerback, which would normally be Paulson Adebo. However, Adebo missed the Saints game in Atlanta with an ankle injury and was replaced by experienced veteran Bradley Roby. A third-round pick in 2021, Adebo had a surprisingly strong rookie season, starting all 17 games and recording three interceptions and eight passes defensed. He possesses great ball skills and good footwork, though he did draw seven penalties as a rookie.

2. Saints C Erik McCoy vs. Buccaneers NT Vita Vea

Atlanta's defense had all of 18 sacks last season, 11 fewer than the next lowest team in the league. In their 2020 opener against New Orleans, the Falcons ripped off 4.0 sacks. Whether that's a function of a more talented defensive front in Atlanta or some protection issues in New Orleans isn't clear yet, but it's worth noting that defensive tackle Grady Jarrett led the way with 1.5 of those sacks. If the Saints do show any weakness up front, Vita Vea will be prepared to make them pay for it. Vea started his season with a sack in Dallas, as part of a four-sack effort for the Bucs' defense, and is generally wildly disruptive even when he isn't posting big stats. As the nose tackle, Vea often lines up over the center, though he frequently demands double teams, which is hard to do when the equally enormous Akiem Hicks is working next to him. The Saints drafted Erik McCoy in the second round in 2019 and he has been a rock on the pivot ever since, starting 45 of a possible 50 games since. McCoy is athletic with strong hands and is good at sustaining blocks once he's locked in.

3. Buccaneers T Tristan Wirfs vs. Saints DE Cameron Jordan

Cameron Jordan has been one of the most consistently effective defenders in the NFL for the last decade-plus, recording at least 7.5 sacks in every season since 2012. He is the only player in the league who can make that claim. It looked like that streak might end last year when he failed to record a sack in the Saints' first five games and had just three after nine outings. However, after he sat out the Saints' Week 14 game while on the COVID list – the only game he's ever missed in his career – Jordan went nuts down the stretch, recording 8.5 sacks in the last four weeks. Even this deep into his career, Jordan plays with a relentless motor and he still is excellent at converting speed off the snap into power. Since he almost exclusively rushes off the left end of the Saints' front he will be seeing a lot of Bucs' third-year tackle Tristan Wirfs. While that's a big challenge for the Bucs' young blocker, it's an equally stiff test for Jordan. Wirfs was named a first-team Associated Press All-Pro in 2021 in just his second year in the league and is already considered one of the league's elite blockers. Wirfs is incredibly athletic for a big man and displays the technique of a seasoned veteran. As has usually been the case throughout his two-plus seasons in the NFL, Wirfs did not allow a sack in the Bucs' season opener against Dallas.

4. Saints WR Jarvis Landry vs. Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield, Jr.

The Saints waited until after the draft to sign Landry, who had been released by the Browns in mid-March. With their pick of Chris Olave in the first round of that draft and the return to health of Michael Thomas, the Saints have a much different receiver group in 2022 and it came to life in Atlanta in Week One. Those three combined for 15 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Landry led the way with seven catches for 114 yards, working primarily out of the slot. While he's not the league's fastest receiver, the ninth-year veteran is a polished route-runner and has been highly productive throughout his career. In the Buccaneers' Week One at Dallas, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. took all of the snaps in the slot when the Bucs went to a nickel package, which was the majority of the game. Winfield helped the Bucs' defense stifle the Cowboys' wideouts, who combined for 13 catches and 125 yards. Winfield also had the Bucs' only takeaway of the game, reading a pass to Noah Brown, who was being covered by Carlton Davis, and slicing in front of it for the pick. In his new hybrid safety/slot role, Winfield could emerge as one of the Bucs' biggest playmakers on defense; he got that started in Week One and hopes to continue his run in New Orleans this Sunday.

DNP: Did not participate in practice

LP: Limited participation in practice

FP: Full participation in practice

Domed Stadium. Outside: Scattered thunderstorms, high of 87, low of 77, 39% chance of rain, 69% humidity, winds out of the E at 10-15 mph.

Head referee: Shawn Hochuli (9th season, 5th as referee)

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS (2021 final totals)

Points Scored: K Ryan Succop, 131

Passing Yards: QB Tom Brady, 5,316

Passer Rating: QB Tom Brady, 102.1

Rushing Yards: RB Leonard Fournette, 812

Receiving Yards: WR Chris Godwin, 1,103

Points Scored: K Brett Maher*, 54

Passing Yards: QB Jameis Winston, 1,170

Passer Rating: QB Jameis Winston, 102.8

Rushing Yards: RB Alvin Kamara, 898

Receiving Yards: WR Marquez Callaway, 698

Interceptions: CB Paulson Adebo/C.J. Gardner-Johnson*/Marshon Lattimore/CB P.J. Williams, 3

* No longer with the team

TEAM STAT RANKINGS (2021 Final Season)

First Downs Per Game: 2nd (23.8)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 1st (3.15%)

Red Zone TD Pct.: 2nd (66.2%)

First Downs Allowed Per Game: 17th (20.2)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 12th (6.91%)

Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 10th (52.5%)

First Downs Per Game: 27th (18.1)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 21st (7.34%)

Red Zone TD Pct.: 18th (52.4%)

First Downs Allowed Per Game: 2nd (17.9)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 8th (7.77%)

Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 1st (43.5%)

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