The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-1) are coming off their sixth win of the season following last week’s win over the Bears at home. The New Orleans Saints are riding behind the arm of former Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston and the legs of Alvin Kamara to the tune of a 4-2 record. Both teams will square off Sunday afternoon inside the Superdome, but first we offer up some bold predictions and scores as the Bucs are favored by 5.5 points over their NFC South rivals, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Week 8 Bold Predictions

James: Alvin Kamara is the offense for New Orleans. As he goes, the Saints go. Because of that, the Bucs defense - especially Devin White - will key in on him and focus solely on shutting him down, forcing Jameis to win the game. So my bold prediction is that Kamara will be held to under 90 total yards and zero touchdowns.

David: Jameis Winston has done really well for the Saints, albeit while getting very few passing attempts, by throwing just three interceptions in six games. This week is going to be different though, and early scoring by the Buccaneers offense is going to force the Saints to rely more on Winston’s arm, and the result will be three interceptions for the visiting team’s defense.

Bailey: I’m going to go the opposite direction of David here. I think Winston gets through the game without an interception. And to go a step further, I think Tom Brady does throw one. The Bucs still win, though.

Mike: Rob Gronkowski is primed to return after a 4-game absence, and he should pick up where he left off if he’s feeling right. With Antonio Brown likely out again and Mike Evans potentially tied up with nemesis Marshon Lattimore, I think Gronk goes off for 75 yards and two tuddies.

Editor’s Pick by Gil Arcia: This is a tough game for me for three words: THE BUCS SECONDARY. Saints head coach Sean Payton knows how to call a good offensive game against Tampa Bay and there’s no denying that. On the other hand, the Bucs are at their best when they pressure the opposing quarterback and we are all-too-familiar with what can happen to Winston when he is constantly pressured. But Payton seems to have brought out Winston’s potential to some degree this season.

I’m doing a little bit of math here. I’m factoring in the reality of a banged up Buccaneers secondary, the potential of Todd Bowles playing the defense “safe” due to the injuries, and Winston poised to beat his former team so I’m riding with Bailey this week. Meaning the former Florida State product will play mistake-free football on Halloween.

Week 8 Staff Picks

As stated above, Tampa Bay is currently favored by 5.5 points via DraftKings sportsbook. The over/under for the game is set at 50. So with that said, below are the staff picks for this week’s game between the Bucs and Saints.

Gil (7-0): Bucs, 29-24

James (6-1): Bucs, 31-20

David (6-1): Bucs, 31-21

Bailey (7-0): Bucs, 27-17

Mike (7-0): Bucs, 24-21

Len (7-0): Bucs, 30-16

Trey (7-0): Bucs, 40-14