Saints x factors this week
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints combat their divisonal foe in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With that simply said, I’m going to lay out Saints x factors against the Bucs.
Alontate Taylor
With Mike Evans out, they will really lean on Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. Godwin will likely face a lot of action against the slot corner Alontae Taylor. I expect Emeka to get double covered quite a bit, which will open up things against Taylor. Taylor is quite versatile. He isn’t only the Saints best cover corner, but he can also blitz quite well.
Juwan Johnson
With Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave battling injuries and Taysom Hill looking like he lost a step, the Saints need to lean on tight end Juwan Johnson, who is arguably their third best weapon. Juwan is quite flexible and can make impressive catches. Johnson has 576 yards and three touchdowns thus far. He is proving he deserved his contract from 2025.
Bryan Bresee
The New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee only has 2.5 sacks on the season, but he has brought a lot of pressure. With offenses focusing on stopping Chase Young, Cameron Jordan, and Carl Granderson, this should leave plenty of opportunities for Bresee to make plays. The Saints have had success with rushing four DL and dropping many defenders into coverage against the Bucs.
Danny Stutsman
Danny Stutsman will need to improve and learn quickly, as Demario Davis will most likely retire after this season. Danny absolutely crushed De’Von Achane last week. He is starting to get more playing time. I’d like to see him blitz more and use his frame and speed to demolish running backs that would try to block him.
The Saints are clearly eliminated from playoff contention, but this is a divisional contest. The Saints will leave everything on the field, so they have confidence against the Bucs going into the offseason. I believe this game will be a bloodbath, even if Marshon Lattimore isn’t playing. The x factors for the Saints I discussed could make the key difference and help the Saints come out with the victory.
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