Chicago Bears free safety Kevin Byard (31) intercepts a pass intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) during the second half at Soldier Field — Photo by David Banks-Imagn Images/Reuters

The New Orleans Saints (1-6) will be at home to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) on Sunday. The meeting is the first of two between the division rivals this season and also marks the first division game of the season for the Saints.

New Orleans went to Chicago and fell to the Bears 26-14 last week. The Saints scored touchdowns on the last drive of the first half and first drive of the second half. However, they never scored otherwise in a road loss.

Tampa Bay has a short week, as they lost 24-9 to the Lions on Monday Night Football. Despite a depleted secondary, the Lions held Baker Mayfield and company in check to get the victory in Detroit.

Kickoff between the Saints and the Bucs inside the Caesars Superdome is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. on Sunday, October 26th.

WHO IS HERE?
The Saints had avoided a rash of injuries for the most part this season until last week. They lost C Erik McCoy and RB Kendre Miller to season-ending injuries in the loss to Chicago.

Despite those two losses, the Saints are actually the much healthier team in comparison to Tampa. They lost Mike Evans to a bad injury last week, and are also expected to be without Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving as well. In addition to those, their injury report will likely have a handful of questionable designations as well.

MORE BAD BLOOD
For a number of years, Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore were the lead personalities that kept the Saints-Bucs rivalry ignited. They battled it out at receiver and corner, oftentimes leading to scuffles, ejections, and plenty of fireworks.

Lattimore was traded to the Commanders last year, and Evans is out injured. Therefore, neither of those spicy personalities will factor into this game on the field.

However, there may be a new source of flames for this rivalry. Baker Mayfield went on the record this week talking about how much he dislikes the Saints. Additionally, he went onto say that the Saints have not used “clean play” against the Bucs in the past. It appears that this rivalry is alive and well entering Sunday.

DIFFERENT SITUATIONS
The Saints and Bears have a few things in common. They both have rookie head coaches, and they both have second year quarterbacks.

However, the Bears have won three straight and find themselves above .500. The Saints are just 1-5 and near the bottom of the league standings.

A win for Chicago moves them into a real contention position in the early portion of the season. A win for the Saints, however, allows them to continue their progress in trying to reset the organization and its standards.

SERIES RECORD: Saints lead 40-27
Last 5 Meetings:
2025: BUCS 27 – SAINTS 19
2024: BUCS 51 – SAINTS 27
2023: SAINTS 23 – BUCS 13
2023: BUCS 26 – SAINTS 9
2022: BUCS 17 – SAINTS 16

STAT LEADERS:
Saints
Spencer Rattler: 159-235, 1,450 Yards, 8 TD, 4 INT
Alvin Kamara: 94 Carries, 342 Yards, 1 TD
Chris Olave: 44 Catches, 3440 Yards, 3 TD
Carl Granderson: 4.5 Sacks
Demario Davis: 61 Tackles (33 Solo)
Kool-Aid McKinstry: 2 INT
Blake Grupe: 14-of-20 Field Goals, Long of 54, 11-of-11 PAT

Bucs
Baker Mayfield: 157-245, 1,767 Yards, 13 TD, 2 INT
Rachaad White: 64 carries, 252 Yards, 4 TD
Emeka Egbuka: 31 Catches, 527 Yards, 5 TD
Yaya Diaby: 4 Sacks
Tykee Smith: 58 Tackles (35 Solo)
Jamel Dean: 3 INT
Chase McLaughlin: 6-of-7 Field Goals, Long of 52, 11-of-11 PAT

INJURY REPORT:
Saints
No Players with Injury Designations

Bucs
Chris Godwin Jr, WR, Fibula, Out
Luke Haggard, G, Shoulder, Out
Bucky Irving, RB, Foot/SHoulder, Out
Haason Reddick, OLB, Ankle/Knee, Out
Vita Vea, NT, Foot, Questionable