- # 9: 2011 Saints 20, Buccaneers 26 (ρ=1.3163)
- Saints' season: finished 13-3, clinched the #3 seed of the NFC, and lost to the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs.
- Buccaneers' season: finished 4-12. Head coach Raheem Morris was fired after the end of the season.
- What happened: in both 2010 and 2011, the Buccaneers games followed a simple rule: when they held their opponent to 21 points, they won, and when they didn't, they mostly lost. The difference between their 10-win 2010 season and their 4-win 2011 season is the Buccaneers mostly didn't hold their opponents to 21 points in 2011.
- The Saints turned the ball over 4 times, including three interceptions thrown by Drew Brees. Other than the playoff loss to the 49ers, it's the only game all season the Saints turned the ball over more than twice.
- It says something about how weak the Buccaneers' offense was that even with 3 extra chances (*) at the ball, they were only able to score 26 points, and nearly lost anyway. (*) The final interception came at the very end of the game, where the Buccaneers could just kneel out the clock.
- Also of note: I wrote about this game in the week 6 pick results and the top upsets of 2011.
Next week: the first upset featuring a team that went on to win the Super Bowl.
