By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS — In a game that not many expect the New Orleans Saints to win, the team will still look to compete on behalf of their community in its season finale.
The Saints are 13.5-point underdogs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Bucs face a win-and-in situation when it comes to their playoff fate.
There’s a world in which New Orleans surprises and disappoints Tampa, eliminating them postseason contention, but thereby opening the doors for the bitter rival Atlanta Falcons to see playoff life.
However, the likelihood of the beat up Saints toppling the Bucs on their home turf in Tampa is slim. But there’s another way New Orleans could play spoiler regardless of the game’s result.
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is just 85 receiving yards away from his 11th consecutive 1,000 yard receiving season. Attaining that goal would tie NFL legend Jerry Rice for the most consecutive such seasons in NFL history, a record that has stood since 1996.
Evans, who has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each season since entering the league, will square off with a Saints defense that has been susceptible to the big play. New Orleans has surrendered 52 receptions of 20 yards or more and ten receptions of 40 or more yards so far this season.
The Saints have, however, enjoyed their fair share of success in limiting Evans.
In his 20 career games against the Saints, Evans has averaged just 49.7 receiving yards per game. However, a key piece of that defensive success for New Orleans is no longer in the building. This will be the first matchup between the Saints and Buccaneers since New Orleans traded away star cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders at the trade deadline.
With cornerback Paulson Adebo’s season having ended early, Evans will match up with corners Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry instead. The two young defenders will face the tall task of guarding the big-bodied wide receiver.
If they can do so, even in a loss, the Saints would get to play spoiler one last time before the season comes to an end and the team embarks on what is sure to be an eventful offseason.
