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Mike Triplett
CloseESPN Staff Writer
- Covered Saints for eight years at New Orleans Times-Picayune
- Previously covered LSU football, San Francisco 49ers
- Iowa native and University of Iowa graduate
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Jenna Laine
Close- Covered the Buccaneers since 2009
- Joined ESPN in 2016
The NFC South is just getting warmed up.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) and New Orleans Saints (5-2) were already embroiled in one of the NFL’s most compelling division battles heading into Sunday night’s crucial showdown in Tampa (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). Now they’re about to add two of the greatest receivers of the past decade for the second half of the season: Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas.
Brown will make his debut with the Bucs, appearing in his first game in 14 months. Thomas, meanwhile, appears likely to play for the first time since he suffered a high ankle sprain at the end of New Orleans’ Week 1 victory over the Buccaneers.
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Thomas is officially listed as questionable. But he practiced all week on a limited basis, and a source told ESPN’s Dianna Russini that he is expected to play.
Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said Brown could play somewhere between 10 and 35 snaps on Sunday. Saints coach Sean Payton — who respected Brown’s talent enough to bring him in for a tryout in New Orleans late last season — said that could be enough for the four-time first-team All-Pro to make an impact.
“You know, one big play at the wrong time could [be a game-changer]. And it doesn’t require 11 catches,” Payton said. “He’s explosive and smart. He understands football.
“The challenge this week is not having any idea about, ‘Does he come out and play the Z or the X? How much?’ So you have to be prepared for where they might put him in their scheme.”
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Matthew Berry and Field Yates discuss Antonio Brown’s fantasy relevance and why Tom Brady is the key to his success in Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers should have a better idea of what to expect if New Orleans gets its full complement of offensive playmakers back. (Receiver Emmanuel Sanders was also activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list this week after missing the past two games.) But that won’t make the Saints any easier to defend.
The Saints have started to find a rhythm on offense during their recent four-game win streak, led by Alvin Kamara’s historic start as a runner and receiver.
“Without even giving him the ball, you have to account for Mike Thomas,” Kamara said. “Defense is an anticipating game. They’ve gotta anticipate what’s gonna happen when Mike Thomas is on the field. … And obviously, when you put the ball in his hands and you get him moving around and running how he’s used to running and doing the things he’s used to doing, it’s not many players, not many defenses that can stop him.”
Here’s a look at how much of an impact Brown and Thomas could have down the stretch — and what else the Buccaneers and Saints have to do to win the South.
Brown demands defenses’ attention
Unlike Thomas, Brown won’t be the focal point of the Bucs’ passing game. But his presence takes some of the attention off of players who have been doing the heavy lifting, such as Mike Evans, who said he is just now starting to feel close to 100 percent after suffering an ankle injury in Week 4. The injury impacted Evans’ ability to cut, but he has also seen a lot more double coverage when Chris Godwin hasn’t been out on the field, which has significantly impacted his production. Godwin’s status for Sunday isn’t certain, and much of that will depend on soreness, but Arians said Friday after Godwin caught passes for the first time since his surgery Oct. 27, “I would anticipate him probably playing.”
What Brown brings to the Bucs’ offense that can help the team make not only a playoff push but also a Super Bowl push is that he can do it all as a route runner. He’s just as dangerous on the go routes and deep routes used with Targets on Post Routes Since 2017
| Player | Targets | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Evans | 52 | 1st |
| Chris Godwin | 37 | T-2nd |
| Antonio Brown | 21 | T-13th |
| Rob Gronkowski | 21 | T-13th |
The Bucs will create some packages for Brown against the Saints, but Arians is keeping it close to the vest. In Brown and Brady’s one and only game together last season — a 43-0 win over the Dolphins in Week 2 — Brown lined up in the slot on 12 snaps and outside on 12 others.
Although he didn’t run any for the Patriots, you can’t overlook Brown’s ability on post routes, which has become a defining characteristic of Brady’s move to Arians’ offense. Brown has caught 67% of his post routes since 2017. Brady has already thrown as many post route attempts this season (14) as he did all of last season, with only Top 3 in YAC on Post Routes Since 2017
| Player | YAC |
|---|---|
| Chris Godwin | 175 |
| Antonio Brown | 147 |
| Mike Evans | 119 |
Brown doesn’t need to play a ton of snaps to do some damage. In his one game with the Patriots, Brown was targeted eight times on 14 routes run (57.1%), and he caught four passes for 56 receiving yards and a touchdown. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, there have been more than 2,300 instances of a WR running 10-plus routes in a game since the start of last season; only one was targeted more frequently than Brown was in that game.
After every Champions League matchday, theScore highlights the marquee developments from Europe’s preeminent club competition.
Jota overtaking Firmino in pecking order?
Diogo Jota is so hot right now.
The versatile Liverpool forward got the start over Roberto Firmino and promptly scored a hat-trick in Tuesday’s rampant 5-0 win over Atalanta. Naturally, that sparked questions and debate over the Brazilian’s status as the first-choice No. 9 alongside undisputed starters Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. After all, the red-hot Jota, who joined the club in the summer, now has six goals in his last four matches across all competitions. Firmino, meanwhile, has one tally all season.
A potential selection controversy brewing? Not for Jurgen Klopp.
“Good performances never give me a headache,” the manager said after the match, surely calming Firmino’s nerves. “That was the decision tonight, it made sense to use the shape Diogo was in, and because of the way Atalanta plays and defends, it made sense that the skill set of Diogo helps.
“But the world is sometimes really in a bad place when the moment someone’s shining, we speak immediately about another player who had played what feels like 500 games in a row,” added Klopp, who always seems to know exactly the right thing to say.
“We would not even be in the Champions League if Bobby Firmino wasn’t with us, and immediately I have to explain why he’s not in the team. He will be in the team.”
Atalanta yet to hit last season’s heights
Atalanta are still very much alive in Group D despite Tuesday’s disheartening defeat, but how they were so easily blown away begs the question: What should the expectation be for Gian Piero Gasperini’s team?
On the one hand, their incredible rise in recent years – which almost culminated with a semifinal berth in this tournament last season – has inevitably created a high bar. That the nature of their defeat was such a surprise is actually a testament to the club’s growth; Atalanta are expected to hang with Liverpool, inarguably one of the continent’s best teams.
On the other, the financial gap between the Bergamo-based outfit and Europe’s glitterati is still very large, and very real. It’s not as simple as looking at the balance sheet to figure out who should win and who should lose, but it definitely matters.
How you evaluate Atalanta’s campaign will determine which side of the debate you settle on.
Still cause for concern at Real Madrid
Yes, Real Madrid got their tournament back on track with a critical 3-2 win over Inter Milan. And yes, they’ve now racked up seven goals in just three group matches.
But there are still legitimate concerns about this team’s ability to control matches and defend. Madrid threw away a seemingly commanding 2-0 lead before getting a late winner Tuesday in the Spanish capital.
Remember, too, that the club’s domestic success last season was built around a watertight defense that conceded a meager 25 league goals, a better mark than notoriously stingy city rivals Atletico Madrid – this checked out in the Expected Goals Against category, too, where Zinedine Zidane’s team also had the best mark in La Liga.
That’s apparently disappeared this season. Real Madrid won’t win anything significant until they fix it, even if they scrape out of the group stage.
Can Conte get Inter out of their funk?
On the other side of that coin, Inter are now in serious danger of failing to advance from Group B. It’s not hopeless, not yet, but anything other than a win over Real Madrid later this month, and it’s all but curtains. Tough spot.
Tuesday’s loss comes with the caveat they were without superstar striker – and talisman – Romelu Lukaku, but Antonio Conte’s team is stuttering badly even with the Belgian in the lineup. Inter have just one win in their last seven matches across all competitions, and even that was a struggle against a wholly unimpressive Genoa side. It’s simply not good enough right now for a team that, coming into the season, harbored legitimate title aspirations in Serie A and was eyeing a long Champions League run.
The onus is squarely on Conte now. After some warring with the brass last year, the front office went out and acquired many of the players he specifically requested. If they continue to flounder, the Italian manager will have to accept the blame this time around.
Tell us how you really feel, AVB
And now, a moment of levity, courtesy of Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas.
The French club equaled an unenviable Champions League record Tuesday, matching the longest losing streak in the competition’s history when they were handily beaten 3-0 by Porto. Tournament winners in 1993, Marseille have now lost 12 consecutive matches on the continent’s grandest stage.
“To be shit in the Champions League, you need to at least be in it,” Villas-Boas, accurately, pointed out after the match. “We are in it and we are doing shit.”
Refreshing honesty. Fair play.
Thomas Tuchel: Master of self-destruction
Does Ander Herrera have compromising photos of Thomas Tuchel? Not to take anything away from Herrera, but asking the Basque veteran to be the creative impetus in a three-man midfield is demanding a lot.
Marco Verratti was unavailable for Paris Saint-Germain due to injury, but instead of giving Leandro Paredes or Rafinha a chance to manufacture a penetrative pass, Tuchel again opted for a midfield devoid of creativity. That didn’t work against Manchester United, and it failed miserably versus RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
Yes, PSG were without Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Mauro Icardi. But just like in the loss to United, it became apparent the capital city side’s lethal attack can’t do all the work alone.
By the time Idrissa Gueye received a second yellow for unwittingly catching Amadou Haidara in the 69th minute, PSG were behind a goal. Tuchel’s response was to take off left-back Layvin Kurzawa for fellow defender Mitchel Bakker, while right-back Thilo Kehrer came on for winger Pablo Sarabia, pushing Alessandro Florenzi into midfield. The manager then waited another 10 minutes to introduce Rafinha for Florenzi with five minutes left, finally bringing on an attacking midfielder. Better late than never doesn’t really apply when you’re chasing an equalizer.
It’s no secret that Tuchel and sporting director Leonardo don’t see eye to eye in Paris. At this point, it’s almost like Tuchel’s squad and tactical decisions are made in spite of Leonardo.
If the German has lost the trust of Leonardo, the players could be next. Look no further than captain Marquinhos’ refusal to shake Tuchel’s hand after the final whistle. What a mess.
Manchester United’s erratic cycle continues
One step forward, two steps back.
It certainly feels that way for a Manchester United side that followed a pair of stellar performances on the continent with a shocking loss while visiting Istanbul Basaksehir. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is at the wheel, and the team bus is stuck in the mud.
United have now produced two straight drab outings after Arsenal outclassed them at Old Trafford over the weekend, leaving many to wonder how a team capable of soaring heights can also register displays like Wednesday’s in Turkey. Somehow, United made the 2020 version of Demba Ba look better than the half-decent version of him from years ago. Harry Maguire truly is a miracle worker.
For all the praise Solskjaer received in the aftermath of the victory over PSG, the Norwegian will be a lightning rod for derision following a lifeless showing in Istanbul, where United’s best chances were generated on the counterattack.
With quizzical squad rotations, questionable substitutions, and an out-of-sorts backline, the loss illustrates, again, that Solskjaer isn’t up to the task. If he can’t outwit his counterparts tactically, then surely he’s a master motivator? Apparently not.
Barca happy Ter Stegen is back
As many would have predicted, Barcelona beat Dynamo Kyiv to extend their perfect start in the Champions League. But, instead of the club’s attack leading the charge, Marc-Andre ter Stegen was the hero while helping Barcelona grind out a narrow 2-1 victory on a night when both goalkeepers produced some of the best saves of the competition to date.
Despite dominating the opening 10 minutes, in which Barca could’ve easily scored three times and put the match to rest, the hosts only managed to find the back of the net when Lionel Messi converted from the penalty spot. That moment seemingly inspired Dynamo to implement a more attack-minded approach that caused Barcelona plenty of problems.
Dynamo’s encouraging response to trailing early in the match almost led to an equalizer during a spell of play that saw the visitors control the action in Barcelona’s end. But, thanks to a bit of luck and great instincts, Ter Stegen – who was appearing in his first match of the season after recovering from a knee injury – denied the Ukranian side’s effort from close range.
Barca were lucky Ter Stegen could cover up their defensive frailties with several great stops, and the team’s attack struggled to break through against an equally red-hot ‘keeper in Ruslan Neshcheret. Denying Messi when the Argentine uncorked a free-kick that was headed for the top corner was his most memorable save of the night.
Gerard Pique scored the eventual winner, but it wasn’t exactly a performance that will fill Ronald Koeman with confidence, despite the three points.