With Hurricane Milton barreling its way through the Gulf of Mexico toward central Florida, Tampa Bay (3-2 straight up, 3-2 against the spread) has decided to leave for New Orleans on Tuesday ahead of its crucial NFC South battle against the Saints in Week 6. There’s a possibility that Milton, which has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane per the National Hurricane Center, could reach land in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday.
The Tampa Bay area sustained damage and dealt with flooding when Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26. The Buccaneers will be in an advantageous spot Sunday at New Orleans. They dropped a 36-30 decision at Atlanta in overtime on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Saints are playing at Kansas City tonight. Therefore, Tampa Bay will have a major rest advantage.
As of Monday afternoon, most betting shops had New Orleans (2-2 SU, 3-1 ATS) installed as a two-point home favorite with a total of 45.5. The Bucs were +110 on the money line. Tampa Bay has won three of last four head-to-head meetings between these division rivals, including back-to-back wins at New Orleans in 2022 (20-10) and 2023 (26-9). The ‘under’ has cashed in five straight games in this rivalry and is 7-1 in the last eight encounters.