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Saints Passing Attack vs. Buccaneers Pass Defense

After a spectacular fourth quarter against Atlanta, the New Orleans passing game will try to build on that momentum against Tampa Bay in a critical NFC South showdown.

Bob Rose

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In their home opener, the New Orleans Saints will take on NFC South rival Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon. It took four quarters, but the Saints finally showcased their offensive firepower in an epic 16-point comeback victory to win their season opener at Atlanta.

New Orleans now takes on a Buccaneers squad with one of the league's better defenses. Tampa Bay also comes into this game 1-0 after holding the Dallas Cowboys to just 244 total yards in a 19-3 win. The Buccaneers won the NFC South in 2021, ending the Saints four-year streak of division championships.

While the Saints passing game came to life in the fourth quarter to pull out a win against the Falcons, they'll need a full game of productivity to beat the Bucs. Here's how they shape up against the Tampa Bay pass defense.

New Orleans Passing Attack

2021 Statistics

  • 21.4 points per game (19th)
  • 187.4 yards per game (32nd)
  • 58.1% completion percentage
  • 29 touchdowns (11th)
  • 13 interceptions (11th)
  • 37 sacks
Oct 31, 2021; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) scrambles past Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett (58). Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Most of the Saints 2021 passing statistics can be disregarded. Jameis Winston was lost for the year with a knee injury in Week 8 against Tampa Bay, causing New Orleans to use four different quarterbacks during the season. All-Pro WR Michael Thomas was also out for the year after ankle surgery and receivers Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave weren't even on the roster.

After a slow start that included timing and protection issues, the passing game caught fire in the fourth quarter against the Falcons. Over the final 12:41, Winston completed 13 of 16 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns with another 2-point conversion. Two of those incompletions were spikes to stop the clock, as Winston put several perfectly placed balls into the hands of his receivers.

Landry and the speedy Deonte Harty were the only wideouts to catch a pass in the first half, but the new-look unit clicked in the second half. Olave had three big catches for 40 yards, showing great route precision and speed to get separation.

Landry led all receivers with 7 catches for 114 yards, including a 40-yard grab in the waning seconds to set up the game-winning field goal. After missing the final weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury, Michael Thomas was somewhat limited in his first game since the 2020 season. He still flashed his dominant form, catching 5 balls for 57 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Oct 6, 2019; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) runs after a catch against Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards (34). Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The Thomas, Landry, and Olave combination is sure to give opposing secondaries fits, especially as their timing with Winston improves. Harty and Marquez Callaway, the team’s leading wideouts last season, make up strong depth.

Don't expect much receiving production from the Saints tight ends this season. However, Juwan Johnson pulled in two key passes for 43 yards against Atlanta and is the best receiver of the group. Adam Trautman, the position's best blocker, could be a valuable receiver in short yardage. Taysom Hill’s contributions are primarily as a runner, but his athleticism makes him a dangerous receiver in the open field.

Alvin Kamara is the best receiving back in the NFL, but the Saints have been having a hard time getting him on track in that capacity. After a career-low 47 receptions and 439 yards last season, he had only 7 yards on three catches against the Falcons. More than just a threat out of the backfield, Kamara runs routes like a seasoned wideout and can split out wide or from the slot.

Aside from Winston's injury and lack of weapons at receiver in 2021, another reason for the Saints struggles was the health of the offensive line. The starting five played together for only 22 snaps last season, leading many to expect improved pass protection this season. That was not the case against Atlanta in week one.

Winston was forced to scramble twice, hit 8 times, and sacked four times against the Falcons. Atlanta brought inside blitzers with great effectiveness, causing interior protection breakdowns for New Orleans. Guards Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz were especially awful.

Tackles Ryan Ramczyk and James Hurst were solid along the outside, but are forced to take on edge rushers one-on-one because of the poor play of the guards beside them. Peat and Ruiz must be better to complement C Erik McCoy inside and set up a formidable interior pocket for Winston.

Tampa Bay Pass Defense

2021 Passing Statistics

  • 20.8 points per game (5th)
  • 239 passing yards per game (21st)
  • 65.4% completion percentage
  • 26 touchdowns (13th)
  • 17 interceptions (8th)
  • 47 sacks
  • 127 QB hits
Dec 19, 2021; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) celebrates as he sacks New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7). Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, the team’s defensive coordinator for three years, employs a heavy blitzing scheme with his 3-4 base alignment and in nickel packages. Tampa Bay held nine opponents to under 20 points in 2021 and a highly regarded Dallas offense to just a field goal last week.

Edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul and defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh are gone, but the team still recorded two sacks and eight hits on Cowboys quarterbacks on Sunday. Akiem Hicks replaces Suh up front. Hicks has been a disruptive pass rusher throughout his 11-year career with the Saints and Bears.

Vita Vea is respected throughout the league for his run-stopping ability, but Vea is also a load as an interior pass rusher. Underrated William Gholston, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and rookie second-round pick Logan Hall make up depth up front.

Second-year edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a 2021 first-round pick, takes Pierre-Paul's spot after an impressive rookie campaign of four sacks and 27 pressures. His bookend is Shaquil Barrett, who had six pressures against Dallas. One of the most explosive pass rushers in the NFL, Barrett has 41.5 sacks over his first three years with the Buccaneers, including 10 in 2021.

Nov 8, 2020; New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas (13) catches the ball as Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White (45) defends. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay has an extremely versatile pair of inside linebackers in Devin White and Lavonte David. Both are outstanding tacklers and equally dangerous as blitzers or in coverage. They combined for six passes broken up, 5.5 sacks, and 36 pressures last season. K.J. Britt provides inside depth, while Anthony Nelson and Carl Nassib are spectacular backups to Barrett and Tryon-Shoyinka on the edge.

The Buccaneers have a physical defensive backfield that plays most offenses with a hybrid zone scheme. Corners Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean, and Sean Murphy-Bunting are suffocating in man coverage because of their physicality, but also show good ball skills.

Davis, the best in coverage of the group, broke up 11 passes while intercepting two and allowing just 57% completion percentage when targeted last season. Dean is more effective in off-ball coverage, but allowed just 48% completion rate when targeted in 2021. The duo combined to allow Cowboys star WR CeeDee Lamb to just two catches on 11 targets in the season opener.

Tampa Bay lost S Jordan Whitehead in free agency this offseason, but replaced him with heady veteran Logan Ryan. Mike Edwards also returns, along with one of the NFL's better safeties in Antoine Winfield Jr.

Winfield had an interception last week to add to his previous two-year total of three picks and 12 passes broken up. He’s also a very effective blitzer, evidenced by his five sacks and 11 pressures over his first two years.

What to Expect

Dec 9, 2018; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Winston injured his knee in early in the second quarter of the Saints week 8 win over the Buccaneers last season. Before that, he looked like he was on his way to carving Tampa's defense up after some early jitters. This despite a Buccaneers defense that was intent on blitzing him heavily and forcing him into mistakes.

Winston and his offensive line should expect to see the same strategy from Tampa Bay this Sunday. He must not only maintain his composure, but also make the proper read adjustments for his receivers and blockers. Atlanta had tons of success with the blitz, especially when they brought extra interior rushers.

Guards Peat and Ruiz must combat the same probable strategy from the Buccaneers not only by blocking better, but making better adjustments on the fly. Tackles Ramczyk and Hurst need to help their guards out by handling Tampa's fearsome edge rushers in one-on-one situations. Don't be surprised if the Saints keep TE Adam Trautman or RB Mark Ingram as extra blockers, especially in obvious passing situations.

Establishing an early running game will also slow the pass rush, but expect Alvin Kamara to be used more as a receiver to take White or David into coverage and eliminate an extra rusher. New Orleans was unable to get Kamara into space most of last season and including last week.

Kamara has been more effective as a receiver than a runner against the Buccaneers. In 10 career regular season matchups against them, he’s averaged nearly 6 receptions and almost 50 yards per contest.

As we saw in their divisional round loss to the Los Angeles Rams last year, Tampa Bay's secondary has trouble matching up against deep receiving units. The Saints didn't have the weapons to take advantage of that matchup last season, but that's a far different case in 2022.

Sep 9, 2018; New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas (13) eludes Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis (33). Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY

When healthy, Michael Thomas has owned Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean. In his first seven career games against the Buccaneers, before his ankle injury, Thomas had 66 receptions and over 118 yards per game against them. The Buccaneers will not only have to deal with Thomas and Kamara, but will also be severely tested by Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave.

In their last four regular season victories against Tampa Bay, the Saints have offered little threat with their passing attack. They'll have to prove that they can protect Winston, who must continue to avoid crippling turnovers, but New Orleans now has the weapons to put big numbers up against the Buccaneers coverage unit. 

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Bob Rose
BOB ROSE

Covers the New Orleans Saints as a senior writer for the Saints News Network.  Co-Host of the Bayou Blitz Podcast.