Saints vs. Buccaneers will be without electric feud

The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quite the rivalry. A personal rivalry with a Saints and Bucs player has helped, and Sunday we'll miss it.

There really isn't much debate between fans of the New Orleans Saints when it comes to who their biggest rival is. It's the Atlanta Falcons. That said, another NFC South team has drawn some bad blood in recent years with the Saints, and that team just happens to be their opponent is the biggest game of the year to this point for both teams. That team of course is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Arguably the biggest reason for this rivalry escalating like it has in recent years has to do with the player vs. player feud between Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore and Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans.

Both players have engaged in physical altercations on numerous occasions, even leading to disqualifications and suspensions. If you're into "the good old days" when players seemed like they actually hated each other, then these games must have been fun for you to watch. Heck, the feud would be fun for anyone to watch.

Sadly, Sunday's game, a game in which the Saints are holding onto their playoff hopes for dear life while the Buccaneers can clinch the NFC South crown, won't feature Lattimore, who is still nursing an ankle injury. This game was always going to be intense, but it would have been even more so had Lattimore been able to go. Instead of the intensity being at an 11, we'll just have to settle for ten.

While not being able to watch the next chapter in this personal rivalry is a real bummer, the biggest blow is the fact that the New Orleans Saints will be playing in a game of this magnitude without one of the best cornerbacks in the game, against a team not exactly devoid of talent on the outside. Hold your breath everybody.