The New Orleans Saints will open their 2020 NFL Regular Season schedule this Sunday evening, when they host the visiting NFC South division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Kickoff is slated for 3:25 p.m. Central and the game will be televised nationally on FOX (locally in New Orleans on FOX Channel 8 WVUE-TV).
Coming into this game, the 3-time defending NFC South division champion Saints (13-3 last season) are a 3-and-a-half-point favorite to defeat the Bucs, who finished at (7-9) last year.
As Who Dat fans are well aware: the Black and Gold is expected to contend for the Super Bowl title once again this year in what might possibly starting QB Drew Brees‘ final year in the NFL, but first they’re likely to be challenged during the regular season by Tampa Bay — who has essentially built an entire roster full of all-star players during the recent off-season — and now is the popular and trendy-pick among the National Media to dethrone the Saints as NFC South champions.
And with the on-going COVID-19 / coronavirus health crisis still lingering over all aspects of everyday life in the United States, this game will be played in front of a practically-empty Superdome as the League continues to enforce all required safety precautions and protocols that are necessary.
With all of that in mind, here are Big Easy Magazine’s 5 “BOLD” Predictions for this Sunday’s highly-anticipated match-up, beginning at #5 and counting all the way down to the boldest prediction for the Saints’ 2020 Season Opening contest against their resurgent division rivals.
And we start with….
5. DESPITE MISSING OUT ON FREE AGENT JADAVEON CLOWNEY A WEEK EARLIER, SAINTS DEFENSIVE ENDS MARCUS DAVENPORT AND CARL GRANDERSON HELP TEAMMATE CAM JORDAN GIVE THE BUCS O-LINE ALL THAT THEY CAN HANDLE
Saints fans were disappointed when free-agent pass rusher and veteran free agent Jadaveon Clowney ended up signing with the Tennessee Titans, but it could actually turn out to be a “blessing in disguise”; since it won’t take away any snaps from young Saints defensive ends Marcus Davenport and Carl Granderson.
Davenport as of this writing was on the Saints’ initial injury report for this contest with an elbow issue, but is still expected to see action along with Granderson in sub packages, from the opposite side of teammate and All-Pro defensive Cam Jordan.
Both Davenport and Granderson will record a sack each and generate constant pressure on Tampa Bay starting QB Tom Brady, but ultimately it will be Jordan who has the biggest performance of them all; as he practically destroys Buccaneers rookie right tackle Tristan Wirfs and tallies 3 sacks, 3 QB “hits”, and recovers a fumble to lead a ferocious New Orleans pass rush.
4. WITH TAMPA BAY WIDE RECEIVER MIKE EVANS LIMITED BY A SORE HAMSTRING, BUCCANEERS BACK-UP WIDE RECEIVERS JUSTIN WATSON AND SCOTTY MILLER TRY TO FILL THE VOID AGAINST SAINTS CORNERBACK MARSHON LATTIMORE
As of right this very minute as you read this article, outstanding Tampa veteran WR Mike Evans is listed as a “game-time decision” with a hamstring injury, that will likely limit his effectiveness in this contest and possibly force him to miss it altogether.
If that happens, it means that there won’t be another match-up between Evans and Saints CB Marshon Lattimore, who has enjoyed a great deal of success in previous seasons in his one-on-one coverage assignments against the Bucs All-Pro. If Evans is ruled out however, it will also mean that Lattimore will probably end up covering either (and possibly both) young Buccaneers back-up WR’s Justin Watson or Scotty Miller.
Miller reportedly has become a personal favorite of Tom Brady’s throughout the length of Tampa Bay’s recently-completed Training Camp. However as he has done so successfully in the past 3 seasons, Lattimore will “lock down” his side of the field against whomever he faces, and notches 2 PBU’s (pass break-ups) and an interception.
3. IN A BATTLE OF BIG-NAME RUNNING BACKS, SAINTS PRO BOWL SELECTION ALVIN KAMARA OUTDUELS TAMPA BAY’S RECENTLY-SIGNED (AND FORMER LSU ALL-AMERICAN) LEONARD FOURNETTE
It was big news last week when the Bucs signed veteran free agent and former Jacksonville Jaguars 4th year RB (and former LSU All-American) Leonard Fournette, who Tampa head coach Bruce Arians told the media will see playing time and have a major role for them in Sunday’s contest,
Fournette will enjoy some success as he rushes for 56 yards on 11 carries and scores a rushing touchdown, but he will be out-shined eventually by his opposing counterpart, Saints Pro Bowl RB Alvin Kamara. The former University of Tennessee star is expected to play and start despite concerns that he might hold out while attempting to reach an agreement on a contract extension that would make him one of the League’s highest-paid running backs and keep him in the Black and Gold during his “prime years”.
Kamata will make his case for an extension a valid one — as he has yet another top-notch performance vs. the opponent (Tampa Bay) that he’s been the most successful against in his 3-year career up to this point — as he tallies 18 carries for 87 yards and a TD running the ball. along with an additional 6 catches ( on 6 targets) for 72 yards and a TD in the receiving game (159 total yards and 2 TD’s scored).
2. IN THE MUCH-HYPED MEETING OF QUARTERBACK “LIVING LEGENDS”, DREW BREES GETS THE BETTER OF 6-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION TOM BRADY
Fun fact: Sunday’s contest will actually be the first time in the NFL’s entire 101-year history that two starting QB’s from opposing teams will face off head-to-head while both in their 40’s age-wise. Those two players of course are Saints 20th year veteran (and soon-to-be 42 year-old) Drew Brees and Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady, who notably is a 6-time Super Bowl champion at age 43.
When the Buccaneers and Saints face off this Sunday, it will mark the first game in NFL history with two starting QBs that are at least 40 years old.
Chapter one of Brady vs. Brees, NFC South version.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 8, 2020
It goes without saying that a majority of the overwhelming hype for this contest has centered around these two long-time friendly-rivals, both of whom are clear-cut locks to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio when they both eventually retire.
That said, the two “living legends” will face each other at least twice this year now that they play within the same division, and this first game in 2020 between them will definitely be a memorable one. Brees will get the best of Brady this Sunday, as he completes 24 out of 34 passes for 311 yards and 3 TD’s; while Brady completes 22 out of 36 attempts for 293 yards and 2 TD’s.
1. AS TIME TICKS DOWN TO THE 4TH QUARTER WITH THE SCORE TIED AT 17-17, THE GAME ULTIMATELY COMES DOWN TO ONE LAST FINAL AND UNFORGETTABLE PLAY
With the score of the game tied up at 17-17 heading into the 4th quarter, several minutes on the game clock tick away as both defenses bog down each other’s offenses, and the two teams exchange possessions of the ball with a series of punts. However, a Brady pass to Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin takes the ball all the way down to the Saints 5-yard line, the spot where Fournette then scores a rushing TD from on the very next play, to give the Bucs a 24-17 lead.
The Saints are able to tie the score once again on a Brees 39-yard TD strike to veteran WR Emmanuel Sanders, but the Bucs go right back down on their next possession and convert a 48-yard field goal by veteran kicker Ryan Succop to re-take the lead by a score of 27-24.
That’s when things start to get REALLY interesting in the game’s final 3 minutes. Kamara scores his 2nd TD of the day on a 22-yard catch-and-run out of the backfield, with a pass from Brees to give New Orleans a 31-27 lead just before the 2-Minute Warning.
Brady and the Bucs get the ball back and essentially need to drive the length of the field but with only one time-out remaining for their offense. But Brady somehow manages to avoid an attempted sack by a hard-charging Granderson and fires a strike to an open Godwin, who gets behind the Saints secondary on a blown coverage and is fortunately tackled by safety Ceedy Duce on the Saints 7-yard line. But Tampa has to use their final time out to stop the clock.
Now with only 11 seconds remaining left to play in the game and facing a 4th-Down-and-Goal following a carry for no gain by Fournette and two Brady incomplete pass attempts, the Bucs still have just enough time to win the game.
As the ball is snapped, Tampa Bay veteran tight end Rob Gronkowski gets open and hauls in the football as he appears to be headed into the end zone for the winning score, But as he turns to cross the goal-line, he is met HEAD-ON by Saints weakside linebacker Demario Davis, who CRASHES into Gronkowski at full-speed and stops him WITHIN INCHES from scoring as the game clock expires inside the virtually empty Superdome.
The Black and Gold walks away with a heart-stopping victory, as the screams of joy from Saints fans who were forced to watch the game on TV because of the pandemic, reverberate throughout the Who Dat Nation……
FINAL SCORE: SAINTS 31, BUCCANEERS 27
Barry Hirstius is a semi-retired journalist, who has worked previously as a sports editor and columnist. Barry is a New Orleans native who grew up as a fan of the Saints while attending their games as a young boy during the early 1970’s, uptown at the old Tulane Stadium. He is also the proud Grandfather of two beautiful young girls, Jasmine and Serenity. Follow him on Twitter: @BarryHirstius
