New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction, 1/5/2025 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 18

Game: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Date: Sunday, January 5, 2025

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL

TV: FOX

Odds-Point Spread: Buccaneers (-14.0)

Total-Over-Under: 43.5

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) are hosting the New Orleans Saints (5-11) at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. Tampa Bay opens this contest as 14.0-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 43.5.

The New Orleans Saints come into this game with a record of 5-11 for this season. In their last game, the Saints faced the Las Vegas Raiders and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 34-0. Spencer Rattler finished 20-36 with 218 yds passing and 1 TD. He had a quarterback rate of 59.7 and finished the contest with 2 picks. Spencer Rattler led the offense in rushing for the Saints with 3 totes for 46 yds (15.3 yards per attempt). Juwan Johnson had an average of 11.0 yards per catch by totaling 66 yds on 6 catches. The New Orleans Saints ran the football 13 times and recorded 81 yards, which came out to an average of 6.2 yards per tote. When all was said and done, they had 49 plays which gave them 269 yards. New Orleans gave up 17 completions on 30 tries for 216 yds, and a completion percentage of 56.7%. Against the rush, the Saints conceded 188 yards on 39 attempts, which calculates to 4.8 yds per rush allowed.

The Saints have racked up 5,150 total yards for the year. New Orleans has amassed 153 1st downs, and they have been flagged for 102 infractions for 926 yards. When it comes to scoring touchdowns, New Orleans has compiled 20 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing touchdowns. They have turned the ball over 19 times (12 interceptions and 7 fumbles lost). As a team they're averaging 118.1 yards in the run game giving them a rank of 14th in the league. When it comes to scoring points, the New Orleans Saints are averaging 19.9 points per game.

When talking about passing yardage, the Saints have allowed 3,839 yards which puts them in 28th in the National Football League. They have conceded 239.9 yards per game through the air and allowed a completion percentage of 61.7%. They have yielded 17 touchdowns via the pass in addition to 19 touchdowns on the ground. Overall, they are conceding 379.0 yards-contest ranking them 30th in football. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.9 yards per rush on the ground and 139.1 yards on the ground per game this season. The Saints are ranked 18th in the NFL in terms of team defense, giving up 23.2 PPG. For the year, they have given up 2,225 running yards through 16 games.

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The Buccaneers head into this matchup 9-7 for this season. In their last contest, the Buccaneers took a loss by a score of 26-24 when they played the Carolina Panthers. Baker Mayfield (5 touchdowns) ended the contest with 359 yards on 27-32 passing while his quarterback rate was 153. He didn't toss any interceptions and his average yards per pass attempt was 11.2 yds. Mike Evans was featured in the passing game for the Buccaneers, hauling in 8 footballs for 97 yds (12.1 yards per catch). Bucky Irving carried the ball 20 times for 113 yards, finishing the contest with 5.7 yds per attempt for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers finished the contest with a total of 551 yards on 72 plays (7.7 yards per play). Tampa Bay ran for 5.1 yards per tote, finishing the game with 202 yards on 40 attempts. Tampa Bay surrendered 20 attempts on the ground for 31 yards (1.6 yds per rush). The Buccaneers passing defense gave up a completion rate of 74.3%, surrendering 286 yds on 26 for 35 through the air.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers average 399.9 yards-outing which is good for 3rd in the NFL. They average 147.3 run yards per game and have run for 2,357 yards for this season. The Tampa Bay offense has 749 yards of penalties on 96 violations, which is 21st in the league in terms of giving up free yards. For the year thus far, the Buccaneers currently sit at 4,041 yards via the pass together with an average of 252.6 passing yards per outing, which ranks 3rd in the league. When discussing their ability to score points, the Buccaneers are ranking 4th in the NFL scoring 29.7 points per contest.

The Buccaneers are giving up 22.9 points per game, which has them in 17th of all teams in the NFL. They have surrendered 26 touchdowns through the air in addition to 244.9 yards per game, which has them sitting 30th in football. Tampa Bay has surrendered a total of 1,599 rushing yards (99.9 yards-game) and 13 touchdowns by way of the ground game for the season. The Buccaneers defense taken the field for 1,002 plays, which ranks them 22nd in football. They have earned 18 turnovers (11 fumbles and 7 interceptions) on the season.

Who will win tonight's Saints-Buccaneers NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Saints +14.0

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