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Why I like the Buccaneers ATS vs. the Saints in the Divisional Round

We break down the best picks against the spread for each matchup in the Divisional Round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) passes the ball under pressure from Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young (99) in the fourth quarter at FedExField. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve got the oldies facing off when Drew Brees and Tom Brady matchup on Sunday in the Divisional Round. The New Orleans Saints enter the game as 3 point favorites as they prepare to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round game.

ATS Pick: Buccaneers

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers offense struggled against a tough Saints defense in both of their games this season. The Saints defense got to Brady three times in each of their two games, making up six of the 21 sacks the Buccaneers allowed all season. They also intercepted Brady five times in those games, while Brady had 12 total on the season.

Those two matchups were in Week 1 and Week 9. The Buccaneers are a different team since those two games and have shown their offense is now in synch. We’re seeing Antonio Brown become a big contributor, adding to an already star-studded receiver group. They also have one of the best offensive lines in the league to go along with the most talent at receiver in the league. It’s taken a while, but they finally are playing at full capacity.

Both team defenses shut the running game down, so it should come down to which of the 40-something quarterbacks can lead their team through the air the best. For my money, that is Tom Brady. Brady has shown he’s still got plenty of arm strength on his way to 40 touchdown passes, while Brees has shown trouble connecting on deep passes this season.

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