The Los Angeles Rams’ No. 1-ranked defense turned out to be paper-thin, falling to pieces with standout defensive tackle Aaron Donald limited by his injured ribs. They didn’t challenge Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers much on Saturday afternoon in a 32-18 loss, ensuring that the road to Super Bowl LV runs through Lambeau Field.
That means the winner of Sunday’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers must hit the road next week. Bucs quarterback Tom Brady has some experience playing in the cold from his stint with the New England Patriots, while the Saints are 4-0 in games played in temperatures under 45 degrees Fahrenheit since 2017, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Drew Brees has thrown 5 touchdowns without an interception and completed 65% of his passes in that span.
Tampa Bay dominated the Packers in their regular season tilt, winning 38-10 at home. The Saints lost to Green Bay 37-30 while hosting at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but let’s not look too far ahead. Brady and his Buccaneers must be dealt with first. The Saints beat them twice in the regular season (first 34-23 and later 38-3, a combined score of 72-26) and are favored to do so again in the playoffs, but no one knows for sure how it’ll play out until both squads take the field. For what it’s worth, teams in the Saints’ position are 12-5 since 1982 in these third-game matchups.
