The New Orleans Saints head to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday for a Week 14 showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and both teams arrive with very different storylines.
New Orleans is coming off a 21-17 setback against the Miami Dolphins, a game that once again highlighted their ongoing struggles. The offense never found its rhythm, and the protection issues were glaring, Tyler Shough was sacked four times and absorbed eight quarterback hits, a clear sign that the line is still failing to hold up in critical moments.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is back in the division hunt with Carolina pushing for the top spot, making this matchup even more crucial. The Bucs snapped a three-game skid with a gritty 20-17 win over the Cardinals, giving Baker Mayfield and company a much-needed spark as they try to regain control of the NFC South race.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints kick-off time
NFL
Raymond James Stadium
The Buccaneers and the Saints will meet in Week 14 of the NFL season at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, December 7, starting at 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT for fans in the US.
Team news & squadsTampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints lineupsTampa Bay Buccaneers team news
Things finally shifted in Tampa last week, with running back Bucky Irving making his long-awaited return after missing seven games. His presence immediately paid dividends, as he paced the offence with 81 scrimmage yards and punched in a touchdown in a 20-17 bounce-back victory. The Bucs also dipped into the creativity well, dialing up a trick play that allowed offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs to reel in his first-ever touchdown grab. However, Wirfs (oblique) was held out of Wednesday’s walkthrough.
Even more encouraging for Tampa Bay is the opening of the 21-day practice window for receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan. While their return this week isn’t guaranteed, the signs point to the Bucs getting critical firepower back at exactly the right time. With the NFC South title, and a fifth straight division crown, firmly within reach, Tampa can’t afford to slip against the 2-10 Saints. If the Buccaneers want to punch their postseason ticket, taking care of business on Sunday is not optional.
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New Orleans Saints team news
New Orleans is finally starting to hand the keys to its younger playmakers. The team made the pivot to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough back in Week 9, last week saw rookie running back Devin Neal handed his first start, and second-year wideout Devaughn Vele turned in a breakout performance with a career-best 93 receiving yards. Despite the Saints coming up short 21-17 on home turf, the late-season emergence of these fresh faces is exactly what the final stretch should be about for a side already eliminated from playoff contention.
The injury report isn’t doing the veterans any favors either. Star running back Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle) and top receiver Chris Olave (back) were both non-participants in Wednesday’s practice. Should both be sidelined in Tampa Bay, the spotlight, and the touches, will likely fall on Neal and Vele. It may not be the recipe for stealing a win on Sunday, but at the very least, it injects some long-overdue change into a lineup that has stayed the course despite consistently poor results.
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Watch and live stream Buccaneers vs Saints in the USA
The Buccaneers vs Saints game in Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season will be broadcast live on CBS. If you’ve cut the cord, fans can also catch the coverage onParamount+ and Fubo (Try for free today!).
More details on where to watch the game in the United States, including streaming options, will be released soon, so keep an eye out for our dedicated coverage.
Watch and live stream Buccaneers vs Saints worldwide
For fans outside the U.S. looking to stay plugged into the action,NFL Game Pass on DAZN is the ultimate ticket. It serves up more than 200 regular-season and playoff matchups, complete Super Bowl coverage, plus access to NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and plenty more to keep you locked in all year long.
To bypass regional restrictions or to access the game if you are travelling abroad, you can watch the action using a Virtual Private Network like ExpressVPN.
How to buy Buccaneers vs Saints tickets
Tickets are already up for grabs on StubHub, with entry starting at $386. From there, prices climb through the tiers — $300, $400, $500, $600, $700, $800, $900, $1,000, and stretching all the way into the premium ranges of $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $6,000, and topping out at $10,406 for the best seats in the house.
Check the link below for the full breakdown of how to purchase tickets to NFL games.
READ MORE: NFL 2025 Tickets: Prices, deals, season tickets & membership information
Buccaneers vs Saints Fantasy Football
Baker Mayfield might just sneak into QB1 territory this week, and it’s not hard to see why, the Saints’ pass defense has been nothing short of a disaster lately. Since Week 9, they’ve been coughing up the 12th-most yards per attempt, the 12th-highest passer rating and success rate per dropback, and the third-worst CPOE in the league. In other words: quarterbacks have had a field day against them.
Last week, Bucky Irving returned and instantly reclaimed the backfield like he never left. He handled 54.4% of the snaps, ran routes on 24.2% of dropbacks, dominated 17 of Tampa’s 21 RB carries, and took all three red-zone rushing opportunities. That workload translated into 19 touches for 81 total yards, good enough to finish as the RB15 on the week and reaffirm him as the unquestioned lead dog.
Meanwhile, the shine has worn off Emeka Egbuka a bit. Not long ago, he looked like a fantasy darling and a weekly must-start. Now, the buzz has cooled, and most analysts view him as a boom-or-bust WR2 or flex. Tampa Bay’s WR hierarchy could get shaken up again too, Mike Evans might suit up this week and Chris Godwin is already in the mix. Egbuka’s fantasy outlook could change dramatically depending on Evans’ status, so a reassessment closer to Friday is definitely in the cards.
On the other sideline, Tyler Shough is still in the “solid but not spectacular” streaming tier, but there’s room for optimism. He’s shown real development, and he’s got another juicy matchup. Since Week 9, the Buccaneers’ pass defense has been generous to a fault: most passing yards allowed per game, second-most yards per attempt, second-most passing TDs (tied), and the second-highest success rate per dropback. If Shough keeps trending upward, he could flirt with QB1 production again.
As for the ground game, Devin Neal has become a fantasy safety net while Alvin Kamara remains shelved. Neal’s workload has been rock-steady, more than 80% of snaps and double-digit touches in back-to-back weeks, making him a dependable flex and a sneaky low-end RB2 for managers who value volume over fireworks.
Lastly, Chris Olave is still managing that nagging back issue. He pushed through the pain last week but is dealing with soreness again, so his status needs to be monitored as practice reports roll in throughout the week.
Buccaneers vs Saints Game Predictions
Oddsmakers aren’t showing New Orleans much love this week, the Saints are flirting with double-digit-underdog territory. Still, the bigger the spread, the more breathing room they’ll have to stay within the number, and history says they know how to do just that. New Orleans has covered in seven straight clashes with Tampa Bay, no matter how lopsided the projections looked on paper.
Total points have consistently leaned low when these NFC South rivals square off, the under has cashed in six of their last eight matchups. Across that span, the Saints have cracked the 20-point barrier only twice, and they’ve now gone seven games in a row without hitting that mark. One of those struggles came in Week 8 when Tampa steamrolled to a 23-3 victory.
But there’s at least a glimmer of hope for New Orleans’ offence this weekend. Tampa Bay’s defence has been leaky this season, giving up 25.1 points per contest, the 23rd-worst mark in the league. If there’s ever a moment for the Saints to rediscover their scoring touch, this feels like as good an invitation as they’re going to get.
Buccaneers vs Saints Betting Odds
Spread
Saints +8.5 (-112)
Buccaneers -8.5 (-108)
Moneyline
Saints: +360
Buccaneers: -470
Total
42.5 (Over -118/Under -102)
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