Chiefs vs. Buccaneers Point Spread: NFL Week 4 Odds, Prediction
The Chiefs are 2.5-point favourites on the NFL odds with a total of 45 points.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Barring a matchup in Super Bowl 57, this writer is confident in saying that Sunday night will be the last time that Kansas City quarterback and one-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and Tampa Bay quarterback and three-time MVP Tom Brady will face off. It’s pretty clear at this point that TB12 will retire after this season.
Brady and the Bucs upset Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, 31-9. In winning his seventh ring, Brady threw for 201 yards and three scores – two to Rob Gronkowski, who is supposedly retired. Mahomes was dogged by an injury and a porous offensive line as he didn’t have a TD pass and two picks with three sacks taken and there could have been many, many more. The teams also met in the 2020 regular season in Tampa and the Chiefs won that 27-24. A healthy Mahomes was great that day in throwing for 462 yards and three scores.
The home team is 5-1 against the spread in the past six meetings.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were held to only 17 points on Sunday in a close loss at Indianapolis. He wasn’t overly sharp in completing 20 of 35 for 262 yards, a TD and a pick. Mahomes has lost back-to-back regular-season starts just three times in his career. Kansas City’s special teams were a major issue in the loss as it didn’t convert on a fake field goal in the fourth quarter and muffed a punt that set up the Colts inside the 5-yard line for a touchdown. Kicker Matt Ammendola missed a 34-yard field goal try and a PAT and was cut on Monday. Usual kicker Harrison Butker should be back from injury. Defensively, the Chiefs were very good as they had five sacks and 10 quarterback hits while allowing just 259 yards of total offence, which marked the Chiefs’ fewest yards allowed since Week 8 of the 2020 season. Starting linebacker Willie Gay served the first of his four-game suspension.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs’ offence has been an issue so far and managed only 12 points in a loss to Green Bay on Sunday – Week 3 marked the first time Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes’ teams scored 17 or fewer points in the same week. It was the 62nd time they played in the same week. Brady is looking to avoid losing consecutive home games for just the fourth time in his career. He was without star receivers Mike Evans, Julio Jones and Chris Godwin, but Evans will play this week and Jones likely will. The Bucs are practicing in Miami this week due to Hurricane Ian bearing down on the Tampa Bay area. There is a report this game could be moved to Minneapolis (Vikings are in London) if the damage is severe. The Bucs are 8-2 ATS in their past 10 following a loss.
KC
TB