The Buccaneers' offense will look drastically different than their last meeting with the Saints as a six-time Super Bowl champion lines up under center in the red and pewter. Tom Brady is joined by one of the greatest tight ends in the game who leads perhaps the greatest tight end group in the league, currently. Brady also has the best wide receiver tandem at his disposal in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, should Evans be full-go on Sunday. Oh, and there's a running back room that consists of Ronald Jones, LeSean McCoy and Leonard Fournette.
If all that isn't enough, the Saints will also be up against a defense with the potential to be one of the best in the league after returning one of the best front seven units in the NFL in its entirety. A unit that boasts the league's sack leader in Shaq Barrett, who tallied 19.5 sacks in 2019, along with arguably the best linebacking duo anywhere in Lavonte David and Devin White - who were both named 2020 defensive captains.
Yet media analysts across the country are still picking the defending NFC South champions to come out of Week One with a victory. Maybe it's because of the Saints' continuity, returning most of their playmakers this season. Maybe it's because even without fans, the Superdome is a pretty uncomfortable place for division rivals.
But in the words of Brady in the team's newest hype video, "If discomfort's our new normal, then we like our chances."
See below for the full list of expert picks.
NFL.com, Greg Rosenthal – Saints
ESPN.com, Consensus – Saints (unanimous)
ProFootballTalk, Mike Florio – Saints
USA Today, Consensus – Saints (split)
SBNation.com, Consensus – Even (split)
CBSSports.com, Consensus – Saints (split)
