Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has never lost to any team four straight times in the regular season. On Sunday night, he’ll try to avoid that happening against the Saints.
Yes, the Saints have a 3-0 record in the regular season against Brady during his time with the Buccaneers. (The Bucs won their postseason meeting in January.) And even thought Tampa Bay comes in as an 11-point favorite on Sunday night, Brady is leery.
“They’re just a great team, so at the end of the day you’ve got to play great to beat great teams,” Brady told reporters on Thursday. “There are different things that they’ve faced, I think a lot of injuries this year. On defense, they’re not injured now. They’ve got a great defense. They’ve got a great, powerful front, they’ve played together a long time. It’s been one of the top defenses in the league. [Defensive coordinator] Dennis Allen does a great job preparing those guys. They’re just a very fundamentally sound defense, they make you earn it. We’ve got to make the right throws, we’ve got to make the right catches, we’ve got to make the right reads in the run game. You can’t have penalties and put yourself behind the sticks. You’ve got to convert on third down. I think they’re the top team in the red area so they’re very difficult to score points against. It’s a tough defense.”
The defense has given Brady fits. The New Orleans offense has been banged up, but it’s getting a little healthier.
In Week Eight, the Saints beat the Bucs after starting quarterback Jameis Winston exited with a knee injury and Trevor Siemian got the job done. If the 6-7 Saints hope to climb back into the wild-card playoff chase, they need to extend their regular-season record against Brady’s Buccaneers to 4-0.