Tampa Bay is in the playoff picture currently, but will need to prove they can hang with the better teams
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Highmark Stadium on Thursday night to take on the Buffalo Bills. Both teams are looking at a “get right” game after losing to divisional opponents last week, with the more suprising upset of the two being the Bills losing to the now 2-5, New England Patriots.
The Bills are currently heavy favorites over the Buccaneers, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. We have been using Tallysight to get our picks in each week, so sign up at Tallysight for submitting your own bets.
I am a little surprised at the spread, given that these teams have almost the same record with the only difference being that Tampa Bay has already had their bye week. The Bills have been great the past few years but have struggled mightily this year in multiple games, including losses to the Jets, Patriots and Jaguars – all teams I would normally not consider upper echelon competition for a team like Buffalo.
On the contrary, the Buccaneers are playing well above expectations this year, and former Rams QB Baker Mayfield is actually have a pretty efficient season as the starter with 1,363 yards and eight touchdowns to four interceptions. As far as replacing a legend in Tom Brady, the Bucs have to be pretty happy with how their Mayfield experiment has worked out.
This game could turn out to be a season defining game for Tampa, as they currently sit in the 7th seed of the NFC playoff picture, but have not had a signature win yet. While they have beat on the likes of the Vikings, Bears and Saints, they have struggled against projected playoff teams like the Lions and Eagles. This could be a game to boost the locker room as the Bills are considered one of the AFC best, however have struggled as of late and are vulnerable.
Admittedly this is a gut pick, but I really like the Bucs in this game. At a minimum, I think they will at least cover the spread, which at the time of my picks was giving Tampa +9. That said, I am also taking the Buccaneers to win the game, and to do so, they will need to keep Bills QB Josh Allen and WR Stefon Diggs in check, which is why I am also taking the under as well.
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