When the Buccaneers (3-3) travel to face the Bills (4-3) to open Week 8 on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video), they will look to end a two-game losing streak. The Bills, meanwhile, were sloppy in prime time on Sunday night vs. the Giants in Week 6 before being shocked by the Patriots in New England in Week 7.
The Buccaneers will have quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee) and wide receiver Chris Godwin (neck) play through injuries, while it's not looking so good for big defensive tackle Vita Vea (groin). On the offensive line, left guard Matt Feiler (knee) is set to miss the game.
The Bills had some concern with the right shoulder of their QB, Josh Allen, but he's practiced in full and is good to go again in an important rebound spot. With all that in mind, here's breaking down the matchup between underdog Tamp Bay and hosting strong favorite Buffalo:
MORE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Props | Start-sit | Godwin update
Buccaneers vs. Bills odds, spread, over/under
(All odds courtesy of BetMGM)
Spread: Buccaneers +8.5 (-110) | Bills -8.5 (-110)
Over/Under: OVER 42 (-110) | UNDER 42 (-110)
Moneyline: Buccaneers +340 | Bills -450
The Bills started as 7.5-point favorites, but the injuries for Tampa Bay and positive reports on Allen have pushed that number up in their favor. Also, the books clearly expect Buffalo to come out more focused after a big upset loss against the Patriots.
Should you bet the Bills against the spread?
The Bills tend to take it to struggling opponents: See the results against the Commanders and Raiders. They also whipped the Dolphins fast when they needed a big win.
Allen is relentless, and the Bucs' run defense and pass rush can be neutralized and then exploited by his physical presence and tools. At the same time, Mayfield is fading fast and comes into this game less healthy than Allen. The Bills can score too much, and the Buccaneers can't score enough on the road on a short week.
Our Pick: Bills -8.5 (-110)
Should you bet the Buccaneers-Bills OVER?
This number is a little too small given what Allen and the Bills can do offensively by themselves. Through garbage time, Mayfield has enough weapons, led by Mike Evans, Rachaad White, and Chris Godwin to do some damage against an injury-marred defense. It won't be pretty, but the Bills once again score close to 30 points to help out big-time here.
Our Pick: OVER 42 (-110)
Final score prediction: Bills 27, Buccaneers 17
