Two teams looking for answers will collide when the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet on Thursday Night Football. Tampa Bay (3-3) has lost back-to-back home games to Detroit and Atlanta and three of its last four overall. The Buccaneers trail the Falcons by a half-game in the NFC South standings. Meanwhile, after blowing out three straight opponents, Buffalo (4-3) has played in three straight one-score games, losing two of them. The Bills are coming off a 29-25 loss to New England. Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin (neck) and quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee) are both active for Thursday Night Football.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET. Buffalo is a 9.5-point favorite in the latest Bills vs. Buccaneers odds while the over/under for total points scored is 43.5. Before you make any Buccaneers vs. Bills picks or NFL predictions, you need to see the NFL betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up more than $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season on an incredible 173-122 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season. It is also on a 27-14 roll on top-rated NFL picks since Week 7 of last season.
The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94% of CBS Sports Football Pick'em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has zeroed in on Bills vs. Buccaneers and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can see the model's picks only at SportsLine. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Buccaneers vs. Bills:
- Bills vs. Buccaneers spread: Buffalo -9.5
- Bills vs. Buccaneers over/under: 43.5 points
- Bills vs. Buccaneers money line: Buffalo -450, Tampa Bay +345
- BUF: Bills rank second in the league in sacks (25)
- TB: Buccaneers are second in turnovers forced (seven)
- Bills vs. Buccaneers: See picks here
Why the Bills can cover
Bills quarterback Josh Allen has played much better at home than he has on the road this season. The 27-year-old has nine passing touchdowns against only one interception in three games played in Buffalo. In contrast, he has six passing touchdowns and six interceptions in the four games away from Highmark Stadium this year, and Buffalo went 1-3 in those games.
In addition, the Bills face a Tampa Bay offense that has struggled recently. After averaging 23.5 points and committing zero turnovers over the first two games of the season, the Buccaneers have averaged 14.0 points and committed six turnovers over the last four. They have not led in the last two games. See which team to pick here.
Why the Buccaneers can cover
Tampa Bay receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have a strong matchup going up against Buffalo's pass defense. The Bills allow a passer rating of 96.6 throwing to receivers this season, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. That bodes well for Evans and Godwin, who have combined for 63 receptions for 866 yards and four touchdowns this season.
In addition, the Buccaneers have done a strong job of protecting quarterback Baker Mayfield this season. Tampa Bay has allowed a sack on just 3.8% of dropbacks, which ranks second in the league behind only Kansas City (2.5%). That protection will come in handy against a Buffalo defense that ranks second in the NFL in sacks (25). See which team to pick here.
How to make Bills vs. Buccaneers picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the point total, calling for 42 total points. The model also says one side of the spread cashes in over 50% of simulations. You can see the model's NFL picks and analysis only at SportsLine.
So who wins Buccaneers vs. Bills on Thursday Night Football, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Buccaneers vs. Bills spread you should jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $7,000 on top-rated NFL picks, and find out.
