As NFC South rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the New Orleans Saints twice last season, and dominated both games. In the first meeting, the Bucs dropped 51 points behind 277 rushing yards. The second meeting came in the final week of the regular season, and the Bucs once again took care of business. After that game Tampa Bay was crowned NFC South champions for the fourth straight year, and the Saints tied for the worst record in the division.
When the offseason rolled around, New Orleans was supposed to be committed to closing the gap between the Saints (the bottom of the division) and the Bucs (the top of the division). However, with the busiest parts of the offseason behind the league, it seems like Tampa Bay actually widened the gap— and the Bucs didn’t even have to try that hard to do it.
Buccaneers continued their dominance over the Saints in the offseason
Tampa Bay’s offseason approach seemed pretty straight forward: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. After winning four straight division championships, that seems like the right mindset to have. That’s why the Buccaneers made sure to retain all the key members of their core this offseason, highlighted by the re-signings of Chris Godwin and Lavonte David.
The Buccaneers also got a couple of exciting newcomers. Namely, Haason Reddick, who they signed in free agency, and Emeka Egbuka, who they took in the first round. Now, Tampa will once again enter the season as the favorite to win the division.
While some analysts think the Atlanta Falcons or Carolina Panthers have a chance to be competitive, not many people are giving the Saints a chance to do anything in 2025. New Orleans has a new coaching staff, and it also handed the keys to the franchise to a second-round quarterback that went earlier than expected. After how the Saints’ offseason went, they shouldn’t be a threat to the Bucs in 2025.
