For the Buffalo Bills' Week 8 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, they are probably hoping it ends much better than their previous week. The Bills are coming off their most embarrassing loss of the season after losing to a then 1-5 New England Patriots team that struggled to score points. But can facing the second-place NFC South Buccaneers get them back in the win column?

Before facing the Bills, the Patriots' highest scoring total in any game this season was 20 in Week 1. In their six games before, they were outscored 152-72. The Bills lost 29-25 last Sunday. Coming from a defensive-minded head coach like Sean McDermott, this is a bit concerning, as each of the Bills' three losses is by six points or less. Of course, the Bills are reeling a bit after losing some significant players on their defense, like Tre'Davious White, Matt Milano, and DaQuan Jones. But still, to get the most points allowed on them all season by an inept offensive team like the Patriots shows the Jekyll and Hyde nature of this team this year.

The Buccaneers (3-3) come into Buffalo on paper as a much more formidable opponent, even after their loss to the Atlanta Falcons, to whom they surrendered the division lead. This is a Buccaneers team that is averaging only 17.2 points per game but is also only allowing a similar amount on defense, according to Team Rankings. At 4-3 now, this seems like a must-win game for the Bills. Let's get into some Bills Week 8 predictions.

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Josh Allen goes turnover-free

Josh Allen in action, throwing football

Josh Allen this season has four interceptions and three fumbles. If he and the Bills want to find themselves back in the win column and not sitting at .500, then staying turnover-free is going to be essential against this tough Buccaneers defense.

Tampa Bay has a top-5 defense in takeaways this season, and they have the best turnover margin in the NFL at +7, according to the Bills official site. Often, Allen tries to do too much and makes errant throws or gets caught running out of the pocket and fumbling the ball. He's been interception-free in only one game this season, while he fumbled only once last weekend against the Patriots and twice during Week 1 against the New York Jets. Allen needs a clean game on Thursday.

The Bills score more than three points in the first half against the Buccaneers

What's been so troubling about the Bills over the last three games is their inability to score in the first half. They averaged 3.3 points per first half in those three games, with two of those games resulting in a loss. The one game they won was against the New York Giants.

With teams as talented offensively as the Bills, there's no reason they should not be scoring more in the first half. Slow starts have been plaguing this team for most of the season, so the need to pick up the pace and put points on the board early is critical at this juncture in the season, especially with the schedule getting tougher. The Bills need to find a way to put up more than three points against the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football this week. Plus, with the way they continue to miss field goals, they'll need to find the endzone instead.

The Bills still struggle defensively, giving up at least three scores

Again, with the Bills being depleted of some of their best defensive players, it could be a difficult season for them to stop their opponents. That or this could be nothing more than an adjustment period in learning how to adapt without them. Either way, this could be another tough game for the Bills defensively.

Baker Mayfield is coming off one of his worst games of this season last week, although it was against a tougher Falcons defense. But don't be surprised if Buffalo gives up at least three scores, more likely in the form of touchdowns than field goals.

The Bills stay undefeated against NFC opponents this Season and cover the -8.5 spread against the Buccaneers

Two of the Bills' wins this season are against NFC opponents, the Giants and the Washington Commanders, and they didn't allow either to score a single touchdown against them. The Buccaneers will find a way to score points in this one, but it won't be enough to beat the Bills at home. Don't be surprised to see the Bills win on Thursday Night Football by 10 as they look to get back on track offensively and defensively.