Buccaneers vs. Seahawks Point Spread: NFL Week 5 Odds, Prediction
Tampa Bay’s licking their wounds after their first defeat of the season, a game in which they lost running back Bucky Irving and now have quarterback Baker Mayfield dealing with reported knee and bicep injuries. Irving may head to the lengthy Bucs injured reserve list, while the status of Mayfield is still uncertain as of Thursday morning.
Seattle’s rattled off three consecutive victories and seem to be finding their stride with Sam Darnold under centre. The Seahawks got above .500 with relatively easy double-digit victories, but got put to the test last Thursday in Arizona when they needed a game-winning drive and Darnold delivered, connecting with Jaxon Smith-Njigba to set up the game-winning field goal. JSN is one of two NFL receivers above 400 receiving yards on the season.
Kickoff at Lumen Field gets going at 4:05 p.m. EDT with Seattle entering as a 3.5-point favourite on home field and the over-under at 44.5 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Sunday marks the Bucs third trip to Seattle since 2009, which is also the last time Tampa Bay won in Seattle. Tampa Bay is 2-5 in their last seven visits to the northwest, which is no doubt a tough trip to make given its length and change from eastern to pacific time zone as a result.
Seattle’s had a hard time covering on home field as of late though, doing so only twice in their last nine games overall. The Seahawks are 3-1 ATS this season though and have covered in three straight outings headed into Sunday. Seattle enters this weekend ranked second in the NFL with 16.8 points against per game and have yet to allow above 20 points in a game this season. The Bucs meanwhile have scored at least 20 points in every game this season, meaning something has to give on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Every season there’s one unit that seem to cannot catch a break when it comes to injuries. This year’s frontrunner appears to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offence. The offensive line injuries have forced this group to do some ridiculous juggling across the five starters, but now the injury big is hitting the other positional groups. Running back Bucky Irving’s status appears to be serious jeopardy with a foot injury, while quarterback Baker Mayfield is also dealing with several injuries. Receiver Mike Evans remains a DNP with a hamstring injury and Sterling Shepard did not practice too with a foot injury.
If Mayfield can’t go, veteran Teddy Bridgewater would be in line for the start. Experience would be the theme in the backfield if Irving can’t go too, as Rachaad White would take over the starting role. And at receiver, rookie Emeka Egbuka’s target share is primed to keep increasing with the phenom now potentially being the focal point in this wounded offence.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks offence may run through Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but it’s not stopping getting a plethora of players touches. Tight end A.J. Barner scored for the second time this season, and he and JSN were two of eight Seattle skill players to rush or catch a pass in Week 4. Running back Kenneth Walker III logged 20+ touches last week and has had over 10 touches in each of Seattle’s four games this season. The problem though is both Walker III and the Seahawks run game overall isn’t producing at a high rate. Seattle’s 3.6 yards per rush is 26th in the NFL and an area they need to improve on if this winning streak is to keep up.
Defensively, Seattle is doing a top-tier job at limiting opposing strikes. The Seahawks have yet to allow an opponent go over 20 points this season and are performing in all facets of the game. Seattle is 2nd in both run stop win rate and pass rush win rate this season.
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