Tampa Bay @ New Orleans preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 24, 2016 ) Tampa Bay 24, New Orleans 31

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were expected to be the darlings of the NFC South in the preseason, poised to take over the division while the New Orleans Saints played out the end of Drew Brees' career near the bottom of the standings. The two teams reversed that narrative so far this season, and the first-place Saints will go for their sixth consecutive win when they host the last-place Buccaneers on Sunday.

Brees is solid as always, but the big improvement over the last five games for New Orleans has come on the other side of the ball, where rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore is proving to be an impact player. "We just have that mentality, that dog mentality, everyone in the room has that. Sometimes we want the game on our back," said Lattimore, who intercepted Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with 1:22 left last week to ensure a 20-12 win. "We want to be out there and seal the game." That surging Saints defense will take on a Tampa Bay offense that failed to find the end zone in a 17-3 home loss to Carolina last week, the team's fourth straight setback. "We've got to play good football on a more consistent basis," Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter told reporters. "Once we do that, the wins will come. You've got to keep doing things right. We're playing good football in spurts but we're not playing consistently enough in any area."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Saints -7. O/U: 50

ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS (2-5): Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston is dealing with a shoulder injury but practiced on Wednesday - the first time he joined the mid-week practice since suffering the injury on Oct. 15. Winston completed 21-of-38 passes for 210 yards and two interceptions in the loss to the Panthers last week, marking the fourth time in the last five games that he failed to complete at least 60 percent of his passes. Winston could be without wide receiver Adam Humphries, who is third on the team with 29 receptions, after he was limited in practice on Thursday due to a rib injury.

ABOUT THE SAINTS (5-2): Running back Mark Ingram became the undisputed starter again when New Orleans traded away Adrian Peterson last month and averaged 98 yards in the last three weeks, but fumbled on two straight fourth-quarter drives against Chicago last week. "I sucked. I sucked," Ingram told reporters. "That's the bottom line: I sucked. Two possessions we're about to ice the game, and I sucked. Let the ball go, hurt my team, hurt my coaches. That's the thing about a family, that's the thing about a team: They lift you up, they had my back, and we were able to get the W. But I was whack, I sucked, and I'll be better." The Saints' focus on the running game is keeping some pressure off Brees, who completed 23-of-28 passes for 299 yards last week.

EXTRA POINTS

1. New Orleans is dealing with injuries along the offensive line to G Larry Warford (abdomen), G Andrus Peat (hip) and T Terron Armstead (shoulder), none of whom practiced in full on Thursday.

2. Tampa Bay CB Brent Grimes (shoulder) is doubtful for Sunday but CB Robert McClain (concussion) is expected to play.

3. The teams split two meetings in each of the last two seasons.

PREDICTION: Saints 27, Buccaneers 17