NFL Picks Week 6: New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, 10/16/11, 4:15 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: New Orleans -5
Current Betting Line: New Orleans -6
Opening Total: 49
Current Total: 49
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Cowboys Saints NFL Preview — The New Orleans Saints have been one of the best road teams in all of football

New Orleans improved to 4-1 with a 30-27 win over the Carolina Panthers as 6.5-point road favorites, which also served as the team’s fourth-straight win. “A win like last Sunday’s can do a lot in that it was hard-fought, we had to come back and we had to be resilient,” stated Saints coach Sean Payton. He will likely lead his team to victory this afternoon, posting an NFL-best 16-5 record on the road since the 2009 campaign. New Orleans is 3-1 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points, while the ‘under’ is 12-11 in that particular situation.

The Saints lead the Buccaneers in the all-time series, 22-16, splitting the season series the past three years. Newcomer Darren Sproles is ranked second in the NFL with 804 all-purpose yards, while the offense is averaging 31.4 points per game, ranking fifth in the NFL. On the other side of the ball, the defense is ranked 16th overall, including 15th versus the run and 16th against the pass.

Tampa Bay will need to bounce back from a humiliating 48-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week, which followed the team’s first Monday Night Football home game in quite some time. Since the division began in 2002, the Bucs and Saints have split the series 9-9, but the teams have traded road victories the past two seasons. “We’re going to get a Tampa Bay team that’s hungry,” stated Payton. “When you play a team that comes off a tough game like they are, you understand they’re going to be focused.” Tampa Bay is 4-13 ATS at home and the ‘over’ is 9-8 in those games.

The Buccaneers will be missing some key personnel Sunday, including starting running back LeGarrette Blount, who will be sitting out with a sore left knee. Tampa Bay will be looking to fill that void with a trio of backs, with most of the carries going to Earnest Graham. Quarterback Josh Freeman will need to play a big game, as he threw for a combined 474 yards and three touchdowns in two games against the Saints last year. It’s certainly a tough matchup for him going against Drew Brees, who is second in the NFL with 1,769 passing yards.