The Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the New Orleans Saints on Sunday for a pivotal NFC South showdown.

New Orleans will be without starting QB Derek Carr, who is expected to miss multiple games with an injury. The Saints are turning to rookie Spencer Rattler to help snap a three-game losing streak.

On the other hand, Tampa Bay is getting healthy and may be in good shape to steal a road win against a divisional opponent. When news of Carr’s injury surfaced, the point spread changed from New Orleans’ favor to Tampa’s favor.

Here is a closer look at the odds and our Buccaneers vs. Saints prediction and best bets for NFL Week 6.

Buccaneers vs. Saints prediction and best bets for NFL Week 6

• Saints +3.5 (-115 at BetMGM)
• Spencer Rattler Over 0.5 INT (-170 at bet365 Sportsbook)
• Alvin Kamara rushing yards Over 67.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

A sports bettor’s biggest advantage is that he or she doesn’t have to bet every game. This might be a good game to pass on because of several factors.

First, it’s difficult to know what the Saints will look like with Rattler at QB. The once-prized college recruit never reached his ceiling at Oklahoma and was adequate at best at South Carolina.

Second, the Buccaneers are dealing with the unknown of what waits for them back home after Hurricane Milton tore through the Tampa area. The team traveled to New Orleans before the storm hit, so the players were distracted by the storm.

All that aside, this line moved six points after the Saints announced Carr would miss the game. Is Carr really worth six points compared to Rattler?

New Orleans is not a passing team. Carr ranked 25th in the league with 128 pass attempts. If the Saints don’t ask Carr to throw the ball all over the yard, why would they ask Rattler to? And if he doesn’t do it, will his impact really be much different from Carr’s?

So again, is the six-point move in the line correct? Probably not. And in that case, it makes sense to side with the Saints as a home underdog of more than a field goal.

Rattler will have to throw it a little, and he will be in for a rude awakening when he does. Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles calls blitzes on 31% of opponents’ dropbacks — one of the highest rates in the NFL.

In his NFL debut, you can expect Rattler to be … uh rattled … a few times and make a mistake.

Because the Saints will not have to change their approach, it’s fair to expect RB Alvin Kamara to get his usual workload. He rushed for at least 77 yards in the first four games before falling short against Kansas City’s strong defense last week in a forgettable game for New Orleans.

Tampa Bay’s defense does not pose the same threat as the Chiefs, so look for Kamara to get back on track against the Buccaneers.

NFL Week 6 Buccaneers vs. Saints odds

Before Carr got injured in the Monday Night Football game against Kansas City, New Orleans was favored over the Bucs by 2.5 points at the best online sportsbooks.

When news of Carr’s injury got out Tuesday morning, the Saints went from favorite to underdog. Now, Tampa Bay is favored by 3.5 points.

The over/under also saw a big move. It went from 45 points before the MNF game to 41.5 points after.

Buccaneers vs. Saints moneyline odds analysis

Why Tampa Bay could win as the favorite

Best odds: -170 at DraftKings Sportsbook

The Buccaneers have shown they can beat good teams, so it would not be a surprise if they defeated a struggling team transitioning to a new quarterback with little NFL experience.

The Tampa offense has been great the last two weeks. With a few days of extra rest, the injured players have had a chance to heal up. That should make them more effective on Sunday.

New Orleans’ defense has given up the 27th most passing yards in the NFL, so Tampa QB Baker Mayfield should find plenty of room to challenge the Saints’ secondary. We’ve seen Mayfield’s upside since he came to Tampa, and it’s fair to expect that to continue on Sunday.

Why New Orleans could win as the underdog

Best odds: +158 at FanDuel Sportsbook

After those first two awesome games, the Saints came back to Earth. The offense hasn’t been the same as in the wins over Carolina and Dallas, so maybe replacing Carr for a few weeks will be good.

With Rattler at QB, the Saints will have the element of surprise as he has never started a regular-season game. Plus, Tampa Bay’s pass defense hasn’t been stopping many opponents. It ranks 28th in the league.

The Saints’ defense has been one of the most opportunistic in the league, with seven interceptions. If New Orleans can pick off Mayfield once or twice, it could give the offense a short field.