New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Who holds the series lead?

Weeks 15 and 18 of the NFL season will see the renewal of a recently heated rivalry between the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints will travel to Tampa Bay on Sunday, Dec. 20. They’ll host the Buccaneers in the regular season finale on either Jan. 9 or Jan. 10. Each team is hoping that 2026 brings them a return to the postseason.

New Orleans hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2020, when a divisional round loss at home to Tampa Bay ended their season. However, the Saints come into 2026 with increased optimism despite a 6-11 record last year thanks to the promise of quarterback Tyler Shough and several new additions on offense. The Buccaneers finished last season at 8-9, snapping a streak of five consecutive years with a postseason berth. Tampa Bay may be a team in transition, especially after watching franchise legends like Lavonte David and Mike Evans along with other key veterans depart this offseason.

Prior to last season, the last eight NFC South championships belonged to either the Saints or Buccaneers. Over that span, their two showdowns usually determined the fate of the division. Until the last three seasons, New Orleans had a firm stranglehold on this series. Here’s a look back at some of the numbers.

Saints vs. Buccaneers series history

Longest winning streak for Saints: 7 (2011-14)

Longest winning streak for Buccaneers: 3 (2022-23)

Last meeting in New Orleans: Buccaneers (23-3)

Last meeting in Tampa Bay: Saints (24-20)

When the Buccaneers first entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1976, they were placed in the AFC West. They’d be shifted to the NFC Central in 1977, with the Saints located in the NFC West at the time. These teams first met with two games remaining in the 1977 season. Tampa Bay came into that matchup in New Orleans winless as a franchise, owning a 0-26 overall record. Thanks to an infuriating 7 New Orleans turnovers and three defensive touchdowns by the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay emerged with a 33-14 victory. The first win in Buccaneers history remains one of the lowest points in the New Orleans franchise.

Outside of that ridiculous loss, the Saints did pretty well against Tampa Bay early in this series. New Orleans owned a 12-4 record against the Buccaneers through 1994 and was 13-7 overall against them through 2001, when the teams were in separate divisions. Upon NFL realignment in 2002, the Saints and Buccaneers were joined in the NFC South. Tampa Bay took the first division crown with a 12-4 record and went on to win Super Bowl XXXVII that season.

However, two of their defeats were at the hands of New Orleans, who earned the season sweep with two wild finishes. Ironically, when the Saints won the NFC South in 2009 along with Super Bowl XLIV, one of their three defeats were to the Buccaneers inside the Superdome. Such has been some of the weird oddities in this series history.

Since being joined in the NFC South, the Saints own a 28-21 edge over Tampa Bay. New Orleans has been especially successful on the road in this series since 2002, taking a 16-8 record on the Buccaneers home field. Included in that are two separate four-game winning streaks on the road for the Saints. However, Tampa Bay has turned the tide at least a little when they’re the road squad. Since the Saints returned to the Superdome in 2006 following the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, they are only 11-10 against the Buccaneers in the Superdome. Included in that is a bizarre current four-year winning streak that Tampa Bay has owned since 2022 when traveling to face the Saints.

One of those Superdome wins for the Buccaneers came in a Divisional Playoff showdown on Jan. 17, 2021. The Saints had decisively swept the Buccaneers during the regular season and were riding a five-game winning streak against them coming into that game as division champions. Tampa Bay pulled out a 30-20 win on that day on their way to a Super Bowl LV win, also bringing the glorious career of legendary Saints quarterback Drew Brees to an inglorious end.

Each of the last two times these teams have met in the Superdome have been a disaster for the Saints. In 2024, a New Orleans defensive collapse led to a 51-27 Tampa Bay victory that set several franchise low marks for the New Orleans defense. That game was the first start for Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, a rookie at the time. Ironically, Rattler’s last start with the team was also against Tampa Bay in the Superdome last year, a 23-3 Buccaneer win. Rookie Tyler Shough came in to relieve Rattler on that late October afternoon and has been the starter since.

Shough led the Saints to a 5-3 record as starter, despite missing most offensive weapons. One of those victories was a 24-20 win at Tampa Bay, where Shough had two critical touchdown runs. Prior to that, the Buccaneers had won three straight and six of the last seven matchups in this series.

Previous to 2022, the Saints had thoroughly dominated Tampa Bay. Between 2017 and 2021, New Orleans owned an 8-2 regular season record against the Bucs and had rattled off 8 of 10 road victories against them between 2012 and 2021. New Orleans and Tampa Bay each own seven NFC South titles, more than any other team. The Saints and Buccaneers are also tied with four consecutive South championships, a division record. Both teams hope to return to that kind of success in 2026, with their showdowns against each other being a major key to that objective.

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: A detailed view of a New Orleans Saints helmet is seen on the field during a OTA Off season Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Head coach Kellen Moore of the New Orleans Saints speaks to media during a OTA Off season Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Head coach Kellen Moore of the New Orleans Saints speaks to media during the OTA Off season Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Travis Etienne Jr. #3 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Moliki Matavao #80 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Jordyn Tyson #0 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Oscar Delp #3 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Travis Etienne Jr. #3 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Spencer Rattler #2 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Tyler Shough #6 and CJ Donaldson #43 of the New Orleans Saints attend the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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Saints WR Chris Olave remains present at OTAs as he seeks extension

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Chris Olave #12 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Barion Brown #19 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: CJ Donaldson #43 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Jay’Viar Suggs #62 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Justin Reid #21 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Highlights from Saints’ second week of OTAs practices

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: The New Orleans Saints defense stands in a huddle during a OTA Off season Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Who holds the series lead?

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