The NFL is in the final stage of the regular season, meaning some teams are in playoff mode right now. The New Orleans Saints are one of those teams who need to finish strong to make it to the playoffs and it stars tonight as they face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Week 15 edition of Sunday Night Football will start at 8:20 p.m ET on NBC. It will also stream on Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports App, NFL App and the Yahoo Sports App.ย
The Saints (6-7) are tied with the Washington Football team for the final playoff spot. But the team is also tied with the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons, meaning a loss tonight would be damaging to their playoff hopes. They are looking to keep the momentum going after earning a 30-9 victory over the New York Jets last week. They were led by grinning back Alvin Kamara who rushed for 120 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Taysom Hill had 73 rushing yards and two rushing yards in the win. The Saints will be dealing with a big issue as they will be without their head coach Sean Payton who tested positive for COVID-19. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will step in as head coach for tonight’s game.ย
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“Sean’s our leader and he’s the guy that’s been running the show around here,” Allen said to reporters this week, per the Saints’ official website. “So, it’ll be a lot different. It’ll be a big challenge without him being there (in Tampa Bay). But the real deal is that he’s prepared all of us for how we have to play the game. We know what’s expected of us. Every single one of us, every coach, player, and staff member knows what’s expected of us.”
The Buccaneers (10-3) can clinch the NFC South if they beat the Saints tonight. They are playing their best football right now as they have won their last four games. And in those four games, the Buccaneers have scored at least 30 points. They are coming off a 33-27 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills where Brady threw the game-winning touchdown pass.ย
“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 about the Saints this week,ย per the Buccaneers’ official website.ย “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.” ย
