The Tampa Bay Buccaneers last swept their season series over division-rival New Orleans in 2007. That also happens to be the Buccaneers' more recent playoff season, and at this point the parallel between those two seasons has evolved from an omen into a necessity.
The Buccaneers defeated the Saints just two weeks ago, taking a surprisingly low-scoring affair, 16-11, to cap a five-game winning streak that pushed Tampa Bay into the thick of the NFC playoff race. Now the two teams meet again in the Superdome, and while the result won't completely decide the Buccaneers' postseason fate it is clearly a critical game for the visiting team.