The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel out West to take on the San Francisco 49ers in a Sunday afternoon NFL matchup at Levi's Stadium. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NFL odds series, which includes a Buccaneers-49ers prediction and pick, laid out below.
Tampa Bay has taken advantage of a bad NFC South to sit in first place with a 6-6 record. Tom Brady and company have won three of their last four games, and now are the lone team in the division with a .500 record. How far this team can go in the playoffs is yet to be seen.
San Francisco has also taken advantage of a weak division, going 8-4 to pace the NFC West. A five-game winning streak has survived even an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo. Now, a third quarterback will look to lead the offense as rookie Brock Purdy will take over.
Here are the Buccaneers-49ers NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Buccaneers-49ers Odds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +3.5 (-118)
San Francisco 49ers: -3.5 (-104)
Over: 37.5 (-104)
Under: 37.5 (-118)
Why The Buccaneers Could Cover The Spread
Tom Brady has quietly put up another typical season, this time at 45. The veteran quarterback has completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 3,332 yards with 16 touchdowns and three interceptions. Brady has accounted for 80 percent of his team's offensive touchdowns. Leonard Fournette leads the team with 511 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Fournette has been limited this week in practice. Look for Rachaad White to see some more carries. White has scored a touchdown in a limited role. Tampa Bay has totaled just 879 rushing yards and four touchdowns this season. San Francisco has stifled opposing ground games, holding opponents to 907 yards.
Mike Evans leads the team with 761 receiving yards and three touchdowns, a favorite target for Brady in their brief time together. Chris Godwin is second with 648 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Fournette is tied for the team lead with three touchdowns. Tampa Bay has averaged 18.1 points per game, which ranks 27th in the league.
Tampa Bay's defense has dominated, ranking fifth with 18.3 points allowed per game. Vita Vea leads the team with six and a half sacks, while the Bucs have totaled 38 sacks as a team. San Francisco has allowed 23 to opponents. The Bucs have intercepted seven passes, and need to rely on their pressure to rattle a rookie quarterback.
Why The 49ers Could Cover The Spread
Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant, will make his first NFL start for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy, in relief of Garoppolo last week, threw for 210 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Trade deadline pickup Christian McCaffrey has impressed in his six games with the new club, rushing for 307 yards and two touchdowns. McCaffrey has also caught two touchdowns. San Francisco has rushed for 1,489 yards and 10 touchdowns as a team, while Tampa Bay has allowed 1,421 yards to opponents.
Brandon Aiyuk leads the team with 698 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Tight end George Kittle is second with four receiving touchdowns. Deebo Samuel, as a do-it-all weapon, has totaled 778 yards and four touchdowns this season. San Francisco has averaged 23.5 points per game, which ranks 13th in the league.
San Francisco's defense has dominated, allowing just 15.8 points per game, which is the best in the league. Nick Bosa has terrorized his opponents, registering 14.5 sacks. San Francisco has racked up 36 sacks as a team.
Final Buccaneers-49ers Prediction & Pick
Brady versus a rookie? Give me Brady. Also with two top-five defenses, the total should be small.
Final Buccaneers-49ers Prediction & Pick: Tampa Bay +3.5 (-118), under 37.5 (-118)
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