Another Thursday means the start of another week in the NFL and tonight we’ve got the Buccaneers vs Ravens in prime time!
The Bucs
Tampa Bay has certainly been struggling recently and is in desperate need of a bounce back performance against the Ravens. After starting off 2-0, the team has lost four of their last five games, including back-to-back losses to the Steelers and Panthers. Surprisingly, the main issue for the Bucs has been their offence. Tom Brady has thrown just eight touchdown passes in seven games and the team is dead last in yards per carry on the ground. When you can’t get the run game going and can’t score through the air, it’s going to be very hard to win in the NFL.
Thankfully for Tampa Bay, they’ve got one of the best to ever play the game under center and they might play in the worst division in football. Even at 3-4, this team is tied for the lead in the NFC South. That being said, the more they lose, the more important their division becomes because a wild card position may not be available for a team under .500.
The Ravens
The Ravens come into tonight’s game after barely escaping the Cleveland Browns last week at home. Baltimore has had a rollercoaster of a season, and despite their winning record, they’re yet to win consecutive games. On the positive side, they haven’t lost a game by more than four points. However, on the flip side, the Ravens have squandered leads of at least ten points in all three of those losses. Lamar Jackson has been great in all quarters except for the last one this season, and the Ravens will need to come into tonight with a focus on finishing the game. In the standings, Baltimore is currently tied with Cincinnati at the top of the AFC North but with the Bengals looking as good as they do right now, a loss this week would most likely drop Baltimore into second place after the Cincy plays the Browns on Monday Night.
Buccaneers vs Ravens – The Pick
The Bucs have something going on, and although no one’s quite sure what it is, it’s enough to be wary of taking them. With the offence playing the way it has in the last few weeks, we’ll take the underdog Ravens to cover the 2.5-point spread tonight in Tampa Bay.
