Buccaneers vs. Bills final score prediction for Thursday Night Football in Week 8
By Peter Dewey
The Buffalo Bills desperately need a bounce-back showing in primetime on Thursday night after losing to the New England Patriots as massive favorites in Week 7.
The loss put the Bills behind the pace in the AFC East division, but they have a favorable home date with the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week.
It is a short week, which makes things a little tougher, but Buffalo is expected to handle this Tampa Bay team.
Oddsmakers have set Josh Allen and company as 8.5-point favorites this week, very similar to the line in their game in Week 7 vs. New England. Should bettors trust the Bills to cover?
We’re using the latest odds (shared below) and this season’s numbers to attempt to cash in on a final score prediction for this matchup:
Buccaneers vs. Bills odds, spread and total
Buccaneers vs. Bills score prediction
Based on their season-long numbers, the Buccaneers and Bills could be in for a lopsided game if the Buffalo offense gets going.
Despite struggling at times the last two weeks, Buffalo is still third in the NFL in points per game (28.3) while the Bucs are averaging just 17.2 points per game – the sixth-worst mark in the NFL.
With the spread in this game set at Bills -8.5, it seems to be taking into account the discrepancy between these two offenses.
Buffalo has two 28-point wins at Orchard Park and one five-point win. However, with this game being on a short week, I question whether or not Buffalo has a blowout in the tank.
The Bills need a win, and they may be content to just get that against a slumping Tampa Bay offense that mustered just 10 points against Atlanta last week.
The Buccaneers also may try to attack on the ground since Buffalo ranks 31st in the NFL in yards per carry allowed. Tampa Bay has struggled running the ball (averaging just 3.1 yards per carry), but the team’s best chance to keep Josh Allen and company off the field is to sustain a ground game.
I think the Bills win this game given their offensive prowess, but I’m wary about laying this many points with the team after it failed to win or cover as a nine-point favorite against the Patriots last week.
Final score prediction: Bills 24, Buccaneers 16
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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