Buccaneers vs. Patriots Point Spread: NFL Week 4 Odds, Prediction
The Tampa Bay Bucs’ Tom Brady (and Rob Gronkowski) returns to New England for the first time. The Bucs are 6.5-point favourites on the NFL odds with a total of 49.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It’s quite likely that Bucs-Patriots is the highest-rated game of the 2021 NFL regular season from a TV perspective as well as the most-wagered matchup. Tom Brady is that big of a star and his return to New England, where he won six Super Bowls, is a story line only Hollywood could dream up. Hey, let’s not forget that Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski, a future Hall of Famer himself, also is returning for the first time.
While most players are jeered when they return to cities they left voluntarily, I would expect hearty cheers for both TB12 and Gronk for all they did in their Pats careers. Of course, Brady and Gronk led the Bucs to their second-ever Super Bowl title last season, while the Patriots missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
To add additional intrigue, Brady is going to pass Drew Brees – who will be on the NBC telecast pre-game and at halftime – as the NFL’s all-time leading passer at some point fairly early in the game.
It’s the 10th all-time meeting between the franchises and New England leads 7-2. They last played in 2017. The Bucs are 0-4 ATS in the past four.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay is the +621 favourite on the Super Bowl 56 odds even though the Bucs come off their first loss of the year, 34-24 at the Los Angeles Rams – certainly no shame in losing to an excellent Rams team that could beat the Bucs in the NFC playoffs. Tampa’s 10-game winning streak including playoffs ended. Brady threw for 432 yards and a touchdown; he leads the NFL with 10 TD passes. He also ran for a rare touchdown, although one area of concern in the early going has been the Bucs’ stagnant ground attack.
Receiver Antonio Brown, who was also a Patriot for about a minute, was out in the COVID protocols but should be cleared for this week. Rob Gronkowski hurt his ribs but also should play. Third-down back Gio Bernard is in question with a knee injury. Pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul missed Week 3 with hand and shoulder injuries and is in question. Tampa is 5-0 ATS in its past five after a loss.
New England Patriots
Bill Belichick believes he found his long-term Tom Brady replacement in the first round of this year’s draft in former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, but like every rookie QB so far in the NFL this season, Jones has looked rather shaky.
In Sunday’s 28-13 home loss to New Orleans, Jones was picked off three times and he has just two TD passes so far. To be fair, the offensive game plan has been quite conservative. Also, starting offensive tackle Trent Brown hasn’t played since being injured on the first series of the season but could return for this one. Third-down back James White, a guy Brady tried to lure to Tampa Bay, is going to miss a while with a hip injury. The Patriots are 2-5 ATS in their past seven.
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