Buccaneers vs. Washington NFL Week 10 Best Bets and Odds Analysis (Archive)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to bounce back in Week 10 at the expense of the Washington Football Team when the pair collides at FedEx Field in the nation’s capital.
If the NFL odds were any indication, the probability of a Buccaneers’ win is high as books tip this game with the Buccaneers significantly across the board. The Bucs are trading upwards of -450 on the money line and, at the same time, they’re pegged as the 9.5-point favorites against the spread.
The market in itself is never a guarantee of anything. That lesson was acutely learned in Week 9 as several of the bookies’ favorites fell victim to the upset – most notably, the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys spring to mind. Tampa Bay’s recent loss to the New Orleans Saints should incentivize Tom Brady and Co. to get back on track with a much-needed win, but whether they cover the hefty point spread is another matter entirely.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Football Team
Sunday, November 14, 2021 – 1:00 PM EST at FedEx Field
Saints Upset Buccaneers
The Buccaneers were stunned by the Saints in Week 8 in a 37-26 upset loss. Tampa Bay closed as the 4-point home chalk but failed to deliver on the market’s favor. It was a sobering loss for Andy Reid’s side just as they were headed into a bye week.
Tom Brady wasn’t on top form, but he still was able to get the Buccaneers to within two points. Alas, on the Buccaneers’ final drive, he was intercepted by PJ Williams who returned it for a touchdown which sealed the game with 1:24 in regulation.
Brady finished with 375 yards, two touchdowns, and a 70% completion. However, two interceptions and a fumble via a strip-sack were his undoings.
It wasn’t all Brady’s fault though. The Buccaneers’ defense let him down with too many costly penalties. It’s as if he was battling his own defense just as much often as he was squaring up to the Saints’ defense. In total, the Buccaneers committed 11 penalties and for 99 whopping yards!
Washington Riding Four-Game Losing Streak
The Football Team’s season has been on a steady decline ever since Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a hip injury in Washington’s season-opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. As things currently stand, the defending NFC East champions are in dire straits with a 2-6 record and bottom place in the NFC East.
Ron Rivera’s side did score a moral victory in Week 2 over the New York Giants, but they slipped to a 43-21 defeat to the Buffalo Bills the following week. In Week 4, the Football Team rallied to erase a 12-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-30, after which they improved to a 2-2 record.
However, it didn’t prove to be the catalyst for more success. On the contrary, it was the last time Washington got into the win column as losses followed to the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos.
Washington’s bye week couldn’t have come sooner after hitting a tough spot in the schedule with dates against some of the better teams in the league. But a date against the defending Super Bowl champions isn’t exactly a reprieve either.
NFL Predictions and Picks
Both Tampa Bay and Washington will be well-rested and raring to go for this Week 10 contest, which represents a reprisal of their playoff encounter in the wildcard round last season.
Washington may well be motivated to atone for last season’s postseason setback, but it’s hard to imagine how they’d pull off the upset when the defense isn’t as good as it was last season and the offense is patchy at best.
Tampa Bay unquestionably shot itself in the foot against the Saints. Had they kept the penalties and turnovers down, the result might have been totally different. They can’t change what happened in New Orleans, but they can certainly learn from those mistakes. Besides, Tom Brady doesn’t often have back-to-back terrible games.
So, if we can agree that Washington isn’t a particularly good team and Tampa Bay doesn’t often repeat the same mistakes, the balance has to tip towards a Buccaneers victory. Betting the Buccaneers on the moneyline holds little value though. This means the value is in betting the point spread. But which side of the coin is the best bet for NFL picks?
Well, if Washington’s defense isn’t quite as vaunted as it was last year and the offense isn’t good enough to go toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and Co, it’s possible to argue that Tampa Bay could deliver a comprehensive win in the nation’s capital to cover the 9.5-point spread.
NFL Picks: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -9.5 (-108) with Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.