2003 · Week 9 · Division

Final

Saints

New Orleans

QB Aaron Brooks

17·14

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay

QB Brad Johnson

Raymond James Stadium · outdoors · grass · 82°F · wind 9mph

Closing spread

TB -8

Total

39

Model margin

+2.5est.

TB perspective

Push chance

2.1%est.

Win probability

  • Buccaneers
  • Saints

How each play moved the game.

Buccaneers winsSaints wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Saintsedge mapBuccaneers
  • -0.009EPA / play-0.043
  • 42.3%Success rate41.6%
  • +0.054EPA / dropback+0.014
  • -0.106EPA / rush-0.134
  • 7.5%Explosive rate7.3%
  • 46.4%Third-down rate35.7%
  • 59.5%Red-zone TD rate68.3%
  • 1.71Points / drive1.38
  • 2.6%Turnover rate2.8%
  • -0.018EPA / play allowed-0.116

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

NO lead 28–23 since 1999

Meetings average 44.2 points. TB are 24-27 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W14NO @ TB2420NO
2025 · W8TB @ NO233TB
2024 · W18NO @ TB1927TB
2024 · W6TB @ NO5127TB
2023 · W17NO @ TB2313NO
2023 · W4TB @ NO269TB
2022 · W13NO @ TB1617TB
2022 · W2TB @ NO2010TB

Box score

Individual performances

Saints

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Aaron Brooks13/2914211

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Deuce McAllister261104.20
Aaron Brooks11515.00
Ki-Jana Carter1-1-1.00

Buccaneers

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Brad Johnson27/4633322

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Michael Pittman16483.00
Brad Johnson199.00
Aaron Stecker1-1-1.00

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line +84.0%2.7%7.0%7.5%3.1%4.7%3.0%2.6%

Positive margins favour Buccaneers; negative favour Saints.

Half-point at risk

2.08%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

55.8%

Expected total

43.0est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)-0.04
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+2.52