When the Buccaneers travel to face the Giants in MetLife Stadium to close Week 8 on "Monday Night Football" (8;15 p.m. ET, ESPN), they will be looking to win three in a row. Tampa Bay (5-2) is headed to take control of the NFC South with Tom Brady. New York (1-6) is buried in last place in the weak NFC South with Daniel Jones under rookie coach Joe Judge.
The Bucs go into the game without wide receiver Chris Godwin (finger) again but the Giants have been down starting running back Saquon Barkley (knee0 since he went down against the Bears in Week 2.
The Bucs are contending for a Super Bowl while the Giants continue to rebuild.
Here's everything to know about betting on Cowboys vs. Cardinals in Week 8, including updated odds, trends and our prediction for "Monday Night Football."
Buccaneers vs. Giants odds for 'Monday Night Football'
- Spread: Buccaneers by 12.5
- Over/under: 45
- Point spread odds: Buccaneers -600, Giants +460
The line has grown by two points in favor of the Buccaneers since the initial release but the point total has gone down by 1.5. The Giants were able to cover as road underdogs against the Eagles last week, but everything is trending toward a Bucs domination, despite the Giants being well rested from playing Thursday night in Week 7.
Buccaneers vs. Giants all-time series
The Giants lead the series 16-7. They won last September in dramatic fashion, 32-21, with a rookie-debuting Jones rallying the team past the Jameis Winston-led Bucs. The Giants have owned this series of late with two consecutive victories and have won seven of the past eight going back to 2006. Brady makes the matchup a bit of a different story with Tampa Bay being huge favorites to turn the tide.
Three trends to know
— 64 percent of spread bettors like the Buccaneers to cover the huge, expanding number as road favorites coming off big wins over the Packers and the Raiders.
— 100 percent of over/under bettors think the total is too low because of the Buccaneers' recent offensive explosion with Brady and like the over.
— The Bucs are 4-2-1 against the spread this season. The Giants are 4-3 against the spread this season. So something will need to give there with a tough number to navigate.
Three things to watch
Mike Evans vs. James Bradberry
This will be the marquee wide receiver-cornerback matchup in the game. Bradberry, the Giants' high-priced free-agent addition, battled Evans often in the NFC South with his former team, the Panthers. He's played at a higher level in coverage this season. Bradberry has the size (6-1, 212 pounds) to give Evans (6-5, 231 pounds) some trouble outside. But Evans will the advantage on short targets in the end zone. Brady will be smart to avoid Bradberry in many situations and look to great matchups with wide receiver Scotty Miller and tight end Rob Gronkowski elsewhere.
Brady on fire
The Giants' defense is playing better than expected with a decent pass rush and run defense. But they have enough holes at linebacker and the secondary for a red-hot Brady to exploit. Forget Brady's past Patriots Super Bowl struggles against Giants' defenses of the past. He will pick apart his nemesis all over the field with plenty of help from the running game, too.
Jones' running
Jones delivered a victory against the Buccaneers last season by throwing for 336 yards and 2 TDs and also rushing for 28 yards and 2 more TDs. He can't expect the same success against a much-improved secondary with a nasty pass rush. He might need to manufacture some offense with his legs again after having a monstrous rushing night against the Eagles.
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Stat that matters
66.0. That's how many average rushing yards per game the Buccaneers are giving up per game. good for No. 1 in the NFL going into Week 8. The Bucs also were the top run defense in the league last season. Without Barkley and Devonta Freeman, the Giants will have little success running the ball again unless it is Jone scrambling. Look for the Bucs to tee off on Jones, stuck passing in a one-dimensional offense. They also go into Week 8 averaging 3.6 sacks per game, good for third in the NFL.
Buccaneers vs. Giants prediction
Brady will be comfortable all night with plenty of help from Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette. Jones will be rattled as the Giants' only source of offense with his top receivers — wideouts Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard, tight end Evan Engram — also being contained across the board. Everything screams blowout and the Giants being home underdogs in prime time gives them nary a boost.
Buccaneers 34, Giants 17
