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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons in an NFC South matchup. Below we will continue our NFL odds series with a Buccaneers-Falcons prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Thursday Night Football is exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Here are the NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Buccaneers-Falcons Odds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +110
Atlanta Falcons: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -130
Over: 43.5 (-112)
Under: 43.5 (-108)
How to Watch Buccaneers vs. Falcons
Time: 8:15 PM ET/5:15 PM PT
TV: Amazon Prime Video
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why The Buccaneers Could Cover The Spread/Win
Tampa Bay is coming off an impressive win over the Philadelphia Eagles. That improved their record to 3-1 with their only loss coming against the Denver Broncos. Take away that game, and the Buccaneers have played some good football. Baker Mayfield has been at the forefront of that. Mayfield is completing over 70 percent of his passes, and has thrown for 246 yards per game. He is also doing a great job taking care of the ball. If he can continue to lead the team downfield, the Buccaneers will win.
The Buccaneers should be able to keep a clean pocket for Mayfield in this game. Now, that is not something they have done a great job with this season, but the Falcons are a team that does not put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. Atlanta has the fewest sacks in the NFL with just four. Giving Baker Mayfield time in the pocket is not going to work out well for the Falcons. Mayfield will do some damage if he is given time to throw.
Tampa Bay is allowing under 20 points per game. Along with that, the Falcons could easily be 0-4 this season. Their two wins were comeback victories in the last minute of the game. This means Atlanta has been in a position to lose each of their first four games. The Falcons have just five offensive touchdowns, so the Buccaneers should be able to shut them down. As long as they play defense as they have been, the Buccaneers will win.
Why The Falcons Could Cover The Spread/Win
As mentioned, the Falcons have been in a position to lose each game. However, Kirk Cousins is very good, and he knows how to lead a team downfield. With him at quarterback, the Falcons will be in a position to win. The Falcons have the talent on the offensive side of the ball to get the job done, and they need that to show in this game. If Cousins can get his receivers involved, and Bijan Robinson can work downhill, Atlanta will be able to at least cover the spread.
Another thing to keep an eye on in this game is the pass rush. The Falcons have faced a few teams that do a good job protecting their quarterback, which could be a reason why they do not have a lot of sacks. The Buccaneers are not one of those teams. Tampa Bay has allowed the fourth-most sacks in the NFL, so the Falcons should be able to get one or two in this game. At the very least, the Falcons should put pressure on Mayfield, which will force a few mistakes.
Final Buccaneers-Falcons Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a good game. The Buccaneers are a good team, but the Falcons seem to be in every game they play. If Cousins is given the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to win, you can chalk it up as a Falcons victory. However, I do not think that will happen. I think the Buccaneers will be up too big. I will take the Buccaneers to win this game straight up Thursday night.
Final Buccaneers-Falcons Prediction & Pick: Buccaneers ML (+110)
