Saints at Buccaneers
THE STORY: Winners of four in a row, the New Orleans Saints have righted the ship from their season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers. Tampa Bay was in position to echo a similar sentiment, until the San Francisco 49ers ended the Buccaneers' bid for four straight wins with a 48-3 thrashing last weekend. To add injury to insult, burly running back LeGarrette Blount took a helmet to his knee and is not expected to play in Sunday's game against the NFC South rival Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Drew Brees tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Thomas to lift New Orleans to a 30-27 triumph over the division rival Carolina Panthers last weekend.
TV: FOX, 4:15 p.m. ET. LINE: Saints -4.5 O/U 49.5
ABOUT THE SAINTS (4-1): Tampa Bay also lost former first-round defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to a left ankle injury last week. His absence could open the door for Thomas and rookie Mark Ingram, who have helped the Saints to the NFL's 14th-best rushing attack – up from last year's ranking of 28th. However, the Saints' bread and butter rests with Brees, who has thrown for 350 yards in each of his last three games. Jimmy Graham has been his favorite target of late, rolling up a franchise-record third straight 100-yard effort for a tight end.
ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS (3-2): Earnest Graham is expected to take the majority of carries in Blount's absence. The 31-year-old Graham has served primarily as a third-down back and hasn't carried the load since rushing for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns during the 2007-08 campaign. McCoy and Blount aren't the only Buccaneers ailing. Stud cornerback Aqib Talib is hobbled by a knee injury. Tampa Bay did receive a boost with safety Tanard Jackson returning from a year-long suspension from the NFL. He is expected to play versus the Saints.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman has struggled against New Orleans during his short career. He has averaged just 218 yards while throwing five interceptions and losing two fumbles.
2. Saints S Roman Harper was fined $15,000 by the NFL on Thursday for his late hit on Panthers WR Steve Smith. Well after Smith reeled in a TD pass, the wideout was blasted by Harper, who earned a 15-yard penalty and ignited an ugly skirmish.
3. The teams have split their season series in each of the last three seasons. The road representative has won the last four contests, with New Orleans holding a 22-16 advantage in the set.