Bills vs. Buccaneers Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 3 Odds, Prediction
As always, preseason is about the process, player evaluation, and roster trimming, rather than actual game results. That said, Buffalo’s 38-0 defeat at the Chicago Bears is the kind of preseason result nobody should have to watch or pay for.
Buffalo was out-gained, 528-180, and at one point, Chicago held an 18-1 advantage in first downs. With reigning MVP Josh Allen already confirmed not to play, and many other starters most likely sitting again, the reserves will need to step up in Tampa.
The Bucs have not played starting quarterback Baker Mayfield either, and that will mostly not change tomorrow evening.
Buffalo is a 2.5-point favourite on the NFL odds, with the total set at 36.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Bills are 0-2 and have failed to cover in both preseason contests, losing to the New York Giants (34-25) and the Bears. After playing to the Over against the Giants, they fell a hair short against Chicago.
Buffalo coach Sean McDermott fell to 17-12 straight up and against the spread in his preseason career. Tampa Bay is 2-0 this preseason, and coach Todd Bowles is now 17-12 against the spread and 15-14 straight up in the preseason in his head coaching career.
Buffalo Bills
McDermott has made it clear that, in a Super Bowl or bust season, the health of his starters is of paramount priority. Allen has traditionally seen at least some preseason action, but not so this year. Determinations are still being made for other starters playing tomorrow night.
Against the Giants, backups Mitch Trubisky, Mike White, and Shane Buechele combined for 341 yards and three touchdowns passing, but they were just 12-28 for 103 yards against Chicago for a cumulative 55.7 per cent passer rating. The reserves and roster hopefuls who have failed to impress to date will need to step up against the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mayfield had a monster season last year, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns while completing 71 per cent of his passes. He should be ready to go for the regular season. The question involves many of his teammates, as Tampa Bay’s list of preseason injury concerns seems to grow by the day.
Second-year wide receiver Jalen McMillan left last week’s 17-14 victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers with a back injury and concussion concerns. Stalwart wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are already in the questionable range. Rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka has softened the blow with an outstanding camp.
Other notable position battles taking place tomorrow night include veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s bid for the backup job against Kyle Trask, as well as multiple candidates stepping up in a depleted secondary.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Bills vs. Buccaneers?
Anything can happen in these preseason contests, but at this point, the Bills would be hard-pressed to post a positive result on the road against a hungry team of Bucs reserves. A 32-year-old Bridgewater, who was just recently coaching a high school team in Florida, is far better than the trio of signal-callers the Bills will throw out there.
Look for Tampa Bay to complete an undefeated preseason and extend Buffalo’s winless camp with a 28-7 victory tomorrow night.
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