Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Tennessee Titans – Week 8 NFL Betting Analysis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4 2-4 ATS) at Tennessee Titans (3-4 2-4-1 ATS)
The Titans snapped their two-game losing streak in their last game and at home they are a 2.5-point favorite against the Buccaneers, who have lost two in a row.
Even in dropping two straight games the public has slightly backed the Bucs, as they opened as a 3-point underdog and as of Wednesday are a 2.5-point underdog.
The Bucs are coming off a bye and they have had a long time to think about the last game. They lost to the Carolina Panthers 37-26 where they outgained Carolina 407 yards to 268 yards and totally contained Christian McCaffery, but they killed themselves with seven turnovers.
The Titans’ offense had scored seven points in losing two in a row and in the last game they inserted backup Ryan Tannehill and he led them to a 23-20 win over the L.A. Chargers.
These two teams from the south have not seen each other since the 2015 season.
The Titans are 5-1 ATS in their last six games facing the Bucs.
Seven Turnovers?
In the 37-26 loss to the Panthers Bucs’ QB Jameis Winston had only been picked off twice in four games but he threw five picks and also lost a fumble. His offensive line has not helped him much, as he was sacked seven times in the game and has been taken down 13 times in the last two games.
Winston has the targets with the likes of Chris Godwin (662 yards) and Mike Evans (464 yards) but he needs time to find them, which is why the O-line has to play well in this game.
The Bucs run game only ranked 21st in the league and Ronald Jones II (279 yards) and Peyton Barber (242 yards) have to help Winston out.
Winston has looked great for much of the season, but eight of his 10 picks came in the first game and the last game.
Tampa will face a good Tennessee defense that ranks 10th in the league defending the pass and 13thdefending the run.
The Backup Comes Through
After benching starter Marcus Mariota, the Titans turned to Tannehill in the win over 4the Chargers where he passed for 312 yards with 2 TD and one INT.
Derrick Henry rushed for 90 yards in the win over the Chargers after only rushing for 28 yards in his previous game. He has been up and down this season and faces a tall task up against a well-rested Tampa Bay run defense that is the top-ranked unit in the league.
Tampa has the run D that ranks first in the league, but their pass defense ranks last in the league. Shaquil Barrett is tied for the league lead with nine sacks but only has one in the last three games and none in the last two. With Tannehill playing with confidence in his first start for Tennessee in the last game the Bucs pass rush will be key in this non-conference affair.
Our Prediction
Tampa Bay is 4-1-1 ATS in their last six road games and they have covered the spread in nine of their last 13 games following a bye week.
The Titans are 0-4-1 ATS in their last five home games and 1-4 ATS in their last five home games facing a team with a losing record.
The Bucs are coming off a bye and they will come out on fire in this one. Their pass D and run game will struggle as usual but look for Winston to light it up. Tannehill may play well again but Henry will not help out and Winston will have the much better game and lead the Bucs to not only cover but get the win as well in Tennessee.
PICK: Buccaneers +2.5