The first taste the world got of Jameis Winston wasn't a great one, but live bettors of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have some confidence going into Week 2 for their rookie against the Cincinnati Bengals.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
Winston went just 9-of-19 for 131 yards in his first preseason game, but he showed that he can make plays with his arm and his legs. We suspect that he and Mike Glennon will basically split this game 50/50 with Winston playing the first half and Glennon getting the second half.
Lovie Smith has been consistent in saying that he wants to get the top pick in the NFL Draft as many reps as reasonably possible here in the preseason to start that maturation process.
If Tampa Bay goes with a third quarterback in this game, it'll be Sean Lobato, who almost certainly won't make the team.
Josh Johnson played almost three quarters of the game for the Bengals last week against New York. We doubt that we'll see quite the much of him this time around, but don't look for much out of Andy Dalton either. Dalton probably gets two or three drives at a maximum, and he very well might only be on the field for one drive when push comes to shove like he was last week.
A.J. McCarron will make his debut this week as well after sitting out last week.
WHEN TAMPA BAY HAS THE BALL
The Bucs have an awful offensive line, and Winston's struggles were just as much attributed to his own decisions as it was to the line in front of him. All too often, three steps were all that the FSU product would get before someone was in his face or on his back, and no quarterback, let alone a rookie, would succeed in that spot.
There are some bright spots for the Bucs, though. They were good in the red zone last week regardless of who was under center, and the rapport between Winston and Vincent Jackson already seems to be building.
The Bengals put up good numbers defensively last week, holding the Giants to just 10 points and 224 yards, but remember that Cincinnati also dominated time of possession thanks to 42 carries for 225 yards.
WHEN CINCINNATI HAS THE BALL
Speaking of all those carries… The Bengals are going to want to keep the ball on the ground again in this game to keep their quarterbacks out of trouble.
However, don't expect to see three runs for at least 20 yards and six others for at least 10 yards in this game.
The clock is inevitably going to be running a ton when the Bengals have it, presenting the opportunity for under bettors, even on scoring drives. Eating up seven minutes and ending with just three points is actually a win for under backers, and we might see plenty of those situations.
There are still some holes in the Tampa Bay defense, namely at safety and corner, but the unit plays hard and wasn't afraid to blitz the Vikings in a 26-16 loss.
TREND TO TRACK
The book on Marvin Lewis as a preseason coach is an inconsistent one. Yes, he has a winning record for bettors at 26-22-1 ATS, but there generally isn't much rhyme or reason to his wins and losses.
Lewis though, is 8-4 in his second preseason game in his career, proving that this might be the time for live bettors to jump aboard.
The NFL odds for this Monday contest were first released by BookMaker, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were positioned as 2-point favorites with a total of 40. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals is set for Monday, August 24, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN.
