There has never been any love lost between rivals in the NFC South, but perhaps no rivalry within the division looms larger than that between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints.
The battles over the years have featured skirmishes (we see you, Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore), great games, not-so-great games, trash talk, and the like. However, in recent years, the Saints haven’t been able to keep up with the Bucs.
The NFC South has been the Bucs for the taking the past few seasons, and their goal is to once again win the division in 2025. The Saints, along with the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, are vying for the crown themselves.
With the race for the division nearing closer to a start, legendary Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees gave an interesting take on the Up & Adams show that will surely have Bucs’ fans smirking.
“Who scares you in the NFC South? Tampa may have the edge just because they’ve won a couple of times, Baker Mayfield is now an experienced, veteran quarterback,” said Brees. “But, look, Atlanta is trying to establish themselves a new quarterback, Michael Penix. [The] Carolina Panthers kind of made a jump last year. Bryce Young, the adversity that he faced, I love the way he responded, the way that he played. I’m a big fan of his. But, really, who scares you? I think the division is wide open, and I think the Saints have as good an opportunity as anybody.”
Saying who scares you right now in the NFC South is a bold thing to say, considering the Bucs have won the division four years running, and a win in 2025 would give them the longest division-winning streak in its history.
Nov 8, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) greet after the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images
While cases can be made for both the Falcons and Panthers, they are still facing challenges and roadblocks to becoming the team the Buccaneers are. But the real kicker here? Stating that the Saints have as good a chance as anyone is just blasphemous.
The Saints haven’t been good in quite some time and are now ushering in a new coaching staff while rolling out Spencer Rattler as their starting QB.
Brees is obviously obligated to have faith in his team to try and instill some confidence in them, but ultimately, we can’t blindly say things such as this when they aren’t even close to being competitive.
