Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles remains bitter about his team’s past losses to the New Orleans Saints, which he no longer considers an NFC South rival.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles remains bitter about his team’s past losses to the New Orleans Saints, which he no longer considers an NFC South rival.
That’s because Tampa Bay hasn’t won a regular season game against the Saints since 2018.
According to Bucs tackle Tristan Wirfs, “Coach [Todd] Bowles said today, ‘It’s not a rivalry unless there’s some give-and-take,’” (via Mike Florio, NBC Sports).
The Bucs haven’t won a regular season game against the Saints since legendary quarterback Tom Brady has been on the roster. With Brady, they’re 0-4 with the Saints for the regular season, and they’ll face the Saints for the first time this season on Sunday. It’s crucial they put their best foot forward if they want to break their shameful losing streak.
The Saints have been a highly dominant team over the past decade, kicking off the 2010s with their first and only Super Bowl championship. The Saints marched to the playoffs seven times from 2010 to 2020, while the Buccaneers only did once during that time span: when Brady led them to Super Bowl victory following the 2020 season.
Brady brought countless seasons of success to the New England Patriots over two decades in the way that Drew Brees brought it to the Saints, so understandably, he faced a lot of pressure when he first joined Tampa Bay.
Brady has brought the Buccaneers to new heights, but it hasn’t been enough to overtake the division rival quite yet.
The Buccaneers have had more success, but not enough to overtake the Saints
Since Brady joined the Bucs in 2020, the team has had more continuous success. They made the playoffs in both 2020 and 2021, first as a Wild Card team and then as the No. 2 seed in the NFC. In 2020, they made the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002, marking their second-ever Super Bowl appearance.
The Buccaneers have built up a strong roster this offseason, but unfortunately, the injury bug that plagued them in 2021 is back at it in 2022. Most of the starters on their offensive line are out, and receivers such as Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are coping with injuries. Even Wirfs, who was a first-round draft pick in 2020, is still sidelined with a lingering injury.
According to FanNation, “Tristan Wirfs’ value to the team is directly connected to Brady’s, too. Because without Wirfs holding down the right side of the offensive line, Brady wouldn’t have the time or space to operate in the pocket, which is something he obviously depends on to be successful.”
Wirfs has yet to make his NFL debut as he entered the season with an injury, but he’s a physically powerful player and is expected to have a huge impact on the team once he arrives.
The Saints have frequented the playoffs over the past decade, so they’re certainly not an easy win. They last made the playoffs in 2020 and were eventually beat out by the Bucs, and they failed to make the playoffs in 2021. The Bucs have enough talent and potential to produce a regular season win against them, and if they play their best on Sunday, they may do so.
