NFC South Notes - Week 6 - High Stakes in New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup

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While not facing probable exclusion from postseason play, like the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints and 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at a potential crossroad in the first half of the season. The Saints are in danger of not having a winning record for the first time since the 2008 season. While the Saints appear to have much more talent, on paper, than the upstart Buccaneers and are favored headed into Sunday's game in Tampa, the Buccaneers and Saints have been playing opposite brands of football in 2010.

The Buccaneers have exceeded expectations, winning three of their first four games and off to their best start under head coach Raheem Morris. The Bucs have an opportunity to possibly take sole possession of first place in the NFC South with a win on Sunday, depending on the outcome of the Atlanta Falcons road game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints have played below expectations, committing a gross excess, by their 2009 standard, of turnovers, penalties, and special teams mistakes, including inexcusable short distance field goal misses.

Being in Louisiana, I have much more exposure to in depth media coverage of the Saints than I do that of the Buccaneers. Listening to the coach's shows and talk radio hosts, the Saints do not appear to be in panic mode. Based on the level of preparation that Sean Payton's Saints teams have demonstrated, my best guess is that the team understands the position it is in and is very focused and "down to business".

The problem, for the Saints, is that they are not flying under the radar of the Buccaneers, or any other NFL team. Buccaneers second year quarterback appears to be grown as confident as his hair is growing long with each passing week. Road wins, even against bad teams, are never easy in the NFL. The proverb, "throw the records out of the window" in division games has always applied to the Saints' division rivals. During the Saints Super Bowl run in 2009, the Buccaneers came into the Superdome with a 2-12 record and beat the Saints, forcing the Saints to rely on help from another team to secure home field advantage before the final week of the regular season in the NFC Playoffs. 

The Buccaneers have already matched their win total from last season. They have, at least, a chance to compete for a playoff spot in 2010. The Saints are not going to come into Raymond James Stadium and walk over the Buccaneers. They may win big, but it will not be easy. Realistically, the Saints will probably win comfortably is they do the cliche "things they are supposed to do" on both sides of the ball along with eliminating the costly (and often preventable) mistakes. Of course, if it were easy to not make mistakes, the Saints would not have and would be unbeaten through five games. THAT'S why they PLAY the GAMES!

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