At risk of acknowledging the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a serious rival of the New Orleans Saints, I’ll start this off by reminding everyone that it’s a series the Saints own handily, having gone 38-22 against Tampa Bay. That’s dating back to 1977 with a six-game winning streak from 1983 to 1988 (before they shared a division) and a seven-win run from 2012 to 2015.

It hasn’t seemed to matter who the Buccaneers hire as head coach, who they start at quarterback, or who was owning the team — the Saints have beaten them in every era they’ve met.

Still, it’s a good time to run through the timeline. Here is how every coach in Buccaneers history has fared against New Orleans (including the playoffs), from Bruce Arians to John McKay:

Bruce Arians (2019-present)

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 1-5

Arians’ lone win over the Saints came in the playoffs last season, when Drew Brees suffered a meltdown and threw three backbreaking interceptions. Those turnovers combined with a Jared Cook fumble set the Buccaneers up in scoring position for all three of their touchdown drives and Tampa Bay’s final clock-killing possession. Arians hasn’t been able to beat New Orleans when the Saints protect the football.

Dirk Koetter (2016-2018)

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 3-3

Koetter’s Buccaneers teams played the Saints more competitively than anyone had seen in years, knocking off New Orleans in the 2017 regular season finale before the Ryan Fitzpatrick-led squad upset the Saints in the 2018 season opener. He was the third Tampa Bay coach to hit .500 against the Saints. That success didn’t last, though, and the boom-or-bust version of Jameis Winston’s offense directly led to Bruce Arians’ hire and the quick pursuit of Tom Brady.

Lovie Smith (2014-2015)

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 1-3

Smith’s only win against the Saints came in 2015, a really weird afternoon in which Drew Brees threw for 255 passing yards but took four sacks with an ugly interception. The New Orleans offense consistently failed to end drives with points and fumbled five times, losing two of them.

Greg Schiano (2012-2013)

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 0-4

Schiano’s teams were poorly coached and flawed in construction, and they scored nearly as many points across all four meetings combined (59) than the Saints did in any two games put together. New Orleans beat Tampa Bay by tallies of 35-28, 41-0, 16-14, and 42-17.

Raheem Morris (2009-2011)

Record vs. Saints: 3-3

The biggest win of the Morris era came near the end of the 2009 season, in which the Buccaneers took the Saints — in New Orleans — to overtime and ended up winning with a 47-yard field goal by Connor Barth. That ultimately didn’t cost the Saints much in playoff seeding, but it did stir a lot of doubt in their championship qualifications after their 13-game winning streak ended a week earlier.

Jon Gruden (2002-2008)

Record vs. Saints: 7-7

Gruden wasn’t especially impressive against the Saints when he first arrived, losing his first three games and four of his first six. But he settled in right when Sean Payton came to New Orleans in 2006 and went 4-3 against his longtime friend and former coworker (they were both on the 1997 Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff). He wasn’t able to sustain his playoff success after winning the 2002 Super Bowl, but Gruden was a big hurdle for Payton to clear early in his head coaching career.

Tony Dungy (1996-2001)

Record vs. Saints: 3-1

The only Buccaneers coach to ever post a winning record against the Saints, Dungy’s innovative defense frustrated the Saints in each of their matchups during his tenure. New Orleans averaged 13 points per game against him in four games and never scored more than 21 points — doing that in a 48-21 blowout loss, in which an efficient Brad Johnson threw for just 207 yards but scored three touchdown passes. Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks threw three touchdown passes of his own but was sacked just as many times while tossing four interceptions.

Sam Wyche (1992-1995)

Record vs. Saints: 0-2

Both of these meetings were close — the Saints won by 23-21 in 1992 and 9-7 in 1994, owing to clutch kicking by Morten Andersen. The Pro Football Hall of Famer booted six field goals and a pair of extra points in these two games, accounting for 20 of the 32 points the Saints scored in total. A disastrous 56-yard interception return for a touchdown by Buccaneers linebacker Broderick Thomas in 1992 nearly led to an upset.

Richard Williamson (1990-1991)

Record vs. Saints: 0-1

Hired as the interim coach in 1990 not long after Ray Perkins was fired, Williamson didn’t fare much better than the coach he replaced. The Saints cruised to a 23-7 win off of three Morten Andersen field goals and an 8-yard touchdown pass from Steve Walsh to Eric Martin in the fourth quarter.

Ray Perkins (1987-1990)

Record vs. Saints: 1-3

The Saints’ only loss to the Perkins-coached Buccaneers came in 1989, a 20-10 defeat that saw both Bobby Hebert and John Fourcade throw interceptions with a combined 241 passing yards. Dalton Hilliard ran 20 times but was held to just 80 yards and a touchdown on the ground while Tampa Bay kicked enough field goals to go the distance.

Leeman Bennett (1985-1986)

Record vs. Saints: 0-2

New Orleans beat Bennett’s Buccaneers by a touchdown in 1985, and then followed that up by scoring several more in 1986’s 38-7 whomping, powered by two scoring runs each from Rueben Mayes and Dalton Hilliard. Tampa Bay boasted the NFL’s lowest payroll at this point in their history, and the sorry on-field product proved it.

John McKay (1976-1984)

Record vs. Saints: 3-4

McKay’s team lost 26 in a row until they found their first win in franchise history on the road in 1977, against Hank Stram’s Saints — that defeat prompted Stram to burn the game tape and he was dismissed after the season. But the Saints remained a mess in Tampa Bay’s infancy and gave up two more wins in McKay’s seven-game series against them as Buccaneers head coach.

Raheem Morris (2009-2011)

AP Photo/David Goldman

Record vs. Saints: 3-3

The biggest win of the Morris era came near the end of the 2009 season, in which the Buccaneers took the Saints — in New Orleans — to overtime and ended up winning with a 47-yard field goal by Connor Barth. That ultimately didn’t cost the Saints much in playoff seeding, but it did stir a lot of doubt in their championship qualifications after their 13-game winning streak ended a week earlier.

Jon Gruden (2002-2008)

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 7-7

Gruden wasn’t especially impressive against the Saints when he first arrived, losing his first three games and four of his first six. But he settled in right when Sean Payton came to New Orleans in 2006 and went 4-3 against his longtime friend and former coworker (they were both on the 1997 Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff). He wasn’t able to sustain his playoff success after winning the 2002 Super Bowl, but Gruden was a big hurdle for Payton to clear early in his head coaching career.

Tony Dungy (1996-2001)

Ronald Martinez/Allsport

Record vs. Saints: 3-1

The only Buccaneers coach to ever post a winning record against the Saints, Dungy’s innovative defense frustrated the Saints in each of their matchups during his tenure. New Orleans averaged 13 points per game against him in four games and never scored more than 21 points — doing that in a 48-21 blowout loss, in which an efficient Brad Johnson threw for just 207 yards but scored three touchdown passes. Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks threw three touchdown passes of his own but was sacked just as many times while tossing four interceptions.

Sam Wyche (1992-1995)

Sep 5, 1993; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Sam Wyche talks to players on the sideline against the Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Stadium. FILE PHOTO; Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 0-2

Both of these meetings were close — the Saints won by 23-21 in 1992 and 9-7 in 1994, owing to clutch kicking by Morten Andersen. The Pro Football Hall of Famer booted six field goals and a pair of extra points in these two games, accounting for 20 of the 32 points the Saints scored in total. A disastrous 56-yard interception return for a touchdown by Buccaneers linebacker Broderick Thomas in 1992 nearly led to an upset.

Richard Williamson (1990-1991)

USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 0-1

Hired as the interim coach in 1990 not long after Ray Perkins was fired, Williamson didn’t fare much better than the coach he replaced. The Saints cruised to a 23-7 win off of three Morten Andersen field goals and an 8-yard touchdown pass from Steve Walsh to Eric Martin in the fourth quarter.

Ray Perkins (1987-1990)

RVR Photots-USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 1-3

The Saints’ only loss to the Perkins-coached Buccaneers came in 1989, a 20-10 defeat that saw both Bobby Hebert and John Fourcade throw interceptions with a combined 241 passing yards. Dalton Hilliard ran 20 times but was held to just 80 yards and a touchdown on the ground while Tampa Bay kicked enough field goals to go the distance.

Leeman Bennett (1985-1986)

Herb Weitman-USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 0-2

New Orleans beat Bennett’s Buccaneers by a touchdown in 1985, and then followed that up by scoring several more in 1986’s 38-7 whomping, powered by two scoring runs each from Rueben Mayes and Dalton Hilliard. Tampa Bay boasted the NFL’s lowest payroll at this point in their history, and the sorry on-field product proved it.

John McKay (1976-1984)

Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Record vs. Saints: 3-4

McKay’s team lost 26 in a row until they found their first win in franchise history on the road in 1977, against Hank Stram’s Saints — that defeat prompted Stram to burn the game tape and he was dismissed after the season. But the Saints remained a mess in Tampa Bay’s infancy and gave up two more wins in McKay’s seven-game series against them as Buccaneers head coach.

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