Away from Milton, Bucs focus on Saints, rookie QB Spencer Rattler
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot more on their minds besides an NFC South showdown against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon.
The Bucs (3-2) arrived in New Orleans on Tuesday to avoid the danger from Hurricane Milton and to prepare for the game. They began practicing at Tulane University on Wednesday.
“Overall everything went smoothly,” head coach Todd Bowles said of the evacuation. “We got the team out. We got their families out. We got their pets out and everything else. Family is the most important thing right now. You can replace material things.”
Bowles said most of the players have their families with them in New Orleans.
“That’s a big relief for them and they’re able to focus on football,” Bowles added. “We understand that the things we do in football are a small mechanism in life and how this hurricane is going to affect people, but we’re focused and we’re trying to get ready for a game.”
The Bucs have had extra time to rest and prepare for this contest because their last game, a 36-30 overtime loss at Atlanta, occurred Oct. 3. Tampa Bay had a season-high 160 rushing yards in the game.
“We’ve got to keep that same mindset of establishing the line of scrimmage,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said.
The Bucs had a 24-17 halftime lead but got outscored 19-6 the rest of the way against the Falcons.
“We executed well in the first half,” Mayfield said. “I think we should have had 28 (points) instead of 24. In the second half, we were very close to making some of the plays, but we didn’t and a game like that can shift just like it did.”
The Saints (2-3), on the other hand, have a short week to prepare after losing at Kansas City 26-13 on Monday, which was their third consecutive loss.
Rookie Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round draft choice in April, will start at quarterback for New Orleans in place of Derek Carr, who sustained an oblique injury in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs.
Second-year backup Jake Haener replaced Carr against Kansas City and completed 2 of 7 for 17 yards, but head coach Dennis Allen opted to start Rattler this week and said Carr is “week to week.”
“We talked a lot internally and decided that Spencer gives us the best opportunity to win this particular game,” Allen said. “He has a lot of athletic ability, he can throw the football, he’s accurate and he can create some plays with his feet.”
Allen said Bowles likes to use “exotic blitzes” and he expects that his rookie quarterback will see his “fair share” of them in his regular-season debut.
Both the Saints and the Buccaneers ruled out five players for Sunday.
Aside from Carr, New Orleans will also be without tight end Taysom Hill (ribs) and right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee). Defensive back Will Harris and linebacker Pete Werner are out with hamstring injuries.
Tampa Bay will be down receivers Trey Palmer (concussion) and Kameron Johnson (ankle), center Graham Barton (hamstring), defensive end Earnest Brown IV (ribs) and defensive back Christian Izien (elbow/groin).
However, the Bucs will get their starting right tackle back. Bowles announced on Friday that Luke Goedeke cleared concussion protocol and is in line to play for the first time since Week 1. Bowles also said that defensive lineman Calijah Kancey (calf) is set to make his season debut.
Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who has been sidelined the past four games with a foot injury, was listed as questionable.
The Bucs are tied with the Falcons for the NFC South lead, one game ahead of the Saints. Atlanta is 1-0 against both of its nearest contenders.
–Field Level Media