Jets vs. Buccaneers Point Spread: NFL Week 3 Odds, Prediction
One of the NFL’s less notable matchups takes place on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the New York Jets.
This is only the 14th meeting in the past 49 seasons between the teams since the Buccaneers entered the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team. New York holds a 10-3 all-time advantage, with Tampa Bay winning the last two meetings.
The Jets haven’t made the playoffs in 14 seasons, and this year is not starting off so hot, either. New York is 0-2, while the Buccaneers, who have won the NFC South for four straight years and been to the postseason in five consecutive seasons, are 2-0.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Jets are seven-point underdogs on the NFL odds with a current money line price of +260. They are 1-1 against the spread after not covering last week as a 6.5-point dog in a 30-10 defeat at home to the Buffalo Bills.
Tampa Bay’s money line is at -325. The Bucs are one of just seven teams that are 2-0 against the spread after covering last week as a 1.5-point road dog with a last-minute, 20-19 victory over the Houston Texans. The Over/Under is listed at 43.5 points.
New York Jets
Man, this franchise. The last time the Jets were in the postseason, President Barack Obama was in his first term. The year was 2010. The team has missed the playoffs for 14 straight seasons, twice as long as the next longest drought.
With former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn coming in as the new head coach, there was room for optimism, and that was evident in a thrilling Week 1 shootout with the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 34-32 defeat.
But it all came crashing back to Earth last week in the setback against the Bills. Justin Fields completed just three of 11 passes for 29 yards and was knocked out of the game with a concussion. The Jets totalled 154 yards in the defeat, with Fields leading the team in rushing with 49 yards.
Veteran Tyrod Taylor came on in relief in the fourth quarter and will start against the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
For the second time in as many weeks, the Buccaneers scored a winning touchdown with under a minute to play to win on the road. In addition to the Texans, they’ve knocked off the Atlanta Falcons late as well.
While Baker Mayfield has resuscitated his career in Tampa, it’s time for the team to take a step forward. Averaging 10 wins a season and a playoff victory every other year is certainly not bad, but Tony Dungy was famously jettisoned over two decades ago by the franchise for similarly being unable to advance the team one or two steps further.
This is a key week for the Bucs with the Eagles and 49ers coming to town and road trips to Seattle and Detroit coming up in the next few weeks. This may be the easiest matchup they get for a while.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Jets vs. Buccaneers?
Taylor is one of the more experienced and capable backups in the league, with a 29-29-1 record as a starter. However, he is only 11-17 as a starter in road games. The Jets fizzled mightily against the Bills after taking the Steelers to the wire. The truth is, this iteration of the franchise probably falls somewhere in between while it gets fully acclimated to Glenn’s style.
I’m confident the Bucs will find a way to win their home opener, but a touchdown spread is a bit steep for a team that needs all 60 minutes to get Ws. Look for Tampa Bay to win, 22-16, with the Jets covering.
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