Bucs @ Saints

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By NOEY KUPCHAN

STATS Writer

 

(AP) -- A popular Super Bowl pick during the preseason, the one-win New Orleans Saints enter Week 5 tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the bottom of the NFC South.

 

While the Saints are coming off an embarrassing drubbing last weekend, the Buccaneers finally found a way to get it done thanks to Mike Glennon's late-game heroics.

 

New Orleans goes for a 10th consecutive win at the Superdome and sixth in a row against Tampa Bay as these division foes square off Sunday.

 

It's been a struggle for the Saints (1-3), who are giving up 396.0 yards per game to rank 29th in the league. They had the ball for just over 25 minutes in last Sunday night's 38-17 rout at Dallas as the Cowboys went 8 for 14 on third down.

 

"You have to be realistic and know that we're not as good as we thought we were," defensive captain Junior Galette said. "We have three quarters (of the season) left, and we have to improve drastically.

 

"Nothing is encouraging right now. We're not looking at other teams. We're looking at ourselves, and how we played (Sunday) night was discouraging. At the same time, you've got to be tough and be strong through these tough times because they never last."

 

Drew Brees went 32 of 44 for 340 yards with two touchdowns, but New Orleans gave up a season-worst 190 yards on the ground. New Orleans has already allowed 30 points in two games to match its total from all of last year.

 

"It's challenging. It's disappointing. It's frustrating," coach Sean Payton said. "But it's on all of us now. Obviously, it's not where you want to be one quarter through the season.

 

"There's a lot of things that need to be cleaned up. Quite honestly, we're playing like a 1-3 team right now, and that's what our record is."

 

The Saints have given up an average of 33.7 points in their defeats, but they beat Minnesota 20-9 in Week 3 in their only home contest. New Orleans has outscored opponents by an average of 17.6 points in winning each of its nine games at the Superdome since the start of 2013.

 

The Saints have also beat up on Tampa Bay of late, taking the last five meetings by 17.2 points per game. Brees has posted a passer rating of 113.3 during that winning streak while throwing for an average of 329.0 yards and 15 touchdowns.

 

However, the Buccaneers (1-3) aren't to be taken lightly following last Sunday's surprising 27-24 win at Pittsburgh. Glennon made his first start in place of the injured Josh McCown (thumb) and recorded a career-high 302 yards with two touchdowns, including a game-winning five-yard strike to Vincent Jackson with seven seconds remaining.

 

"You do judge quarterbacks on what they do late, and he was at his best at the end, right up until the last throw," coach Lovie Smith said of Glennon, who started 13 games as a rookie last season.

 

"When you're labeled the quarterback of the future, that's what you're supposed to do when you come out. The future was in front of us a little earlier than the initial plan, but you need to be ready at all times. How (Glennon) handled it right there at the end, having to make that final throw, kind of said it all."

 

Glennon appears to have a favorable matchup against the Saints, who are one of two remaining teams yet to record an interception. New Orleans has forced an NFL-low one turnover after coming up empty in three straight games.

 

Only three teams have allowed more passing yards per game than New Orleans, which is tied with Tampa Bay at 272.5. To make matters worse, starting free safety Jairus Byrd was lost for the season due to a knee injury suffered in practice Thursday.

 

Byrd was a free agent acquisition during the offseason from Buffalo, where he intercepted 22 passes during his first five years in the league.

 

Despite their struggles, the Buccaneers and Saints are one game behind Atlanta and Carolina for the division lead.

 

"Yes, 1-3 is disappointing, but in the big scheme of things there are a lot of disappointed teams in the league," Smith said. "For us, we're one game away and we have another chance to get a division road game. What better position for us to be in? We're getting some of our injured players back, and our guys can see where we can go."

 

Tampa Bay has dropped three straight in New Orleans, including its last two by a combined 83-17 score.

 

Source: Hosted.Stats.com

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Saints declared RB Mark Ingram, FB Erik Lorig, FS Jairus Byrd, WR Joe Morgan, WR Nick Toon, LB Ronald Powell, and NT Brandon Deaderick inactive for Week 5 against the Bucs.

Ingram is aiming for a Week 7 return from a broken hand. Byrd will be placed on injured reserve this week with a torn meniscus in his knee suffered in practice.

 

 

 

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (foot) is active for Week 5 against the Saints.

As expected. ASJ didn't suffer a setback last week but practiced on a limited basis all week in order to get some rest. He'll be a big part of the offense as a high-upside TE2 with Mike Evans (groin) out.

The rest of the Bucs' inactives after Evans: QB Josh McCown, MLB Mason Foster, S Dashon Goldson, DE Larry English, OT Kevin Pamphile, and OG Kadeem Edwards.

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