The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were initially field goal favorites per the NFL betting odds against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night. It was potentially a trap game for the Buccaneers, but there are now serious concerns for the Raiders ahead of this one. Starting right tackle Trent Brown was placed on the COVID-19 list and the starting offensive line was sent home from practice on Wednesday, pending results of further testing. That has cast a huge question mark over this game, leading to oddsmakers taking the game off the board while they wait to hear more.
NFL Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Tampa Bay Buccaneers TBA
Las Vegas Raiders TBA
Total TBA
The offensive line has been the strength of the Raiders this season. Brown’s return from injury prior to Week 5’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs was instrumental in Las Vegas pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the year. Derek Carr was only sacked once against the Chiefs, allowing Carr to complete 22 of 31 passes for 347 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Carr has been solid this season. He has completed 73.1 percent of his passes for 1,442 yards with 11 touchdowns and an interception. He has really cut down on interceptions over the last few seasons, and he is on pace to have his best year yet in 2020.
That’s very encouraging for the Raiders as this receiver corps still has some issues. The Raiders had one of the worst groups of receivers in the NFL last year, so they used one of their first-round picks on Henry Ruggs III in order to give Carr a burner. Ruggs has finally returned from injury, and we saw what he was capable of against the Chiefs. The rookie caught passes of 72 and 46 yards, showcasing his speed.
Jon Gruden wants to run the ball with Josh Jacobs, but that might not be much of an option considering what we’ve seen from Tampa Bay’s run defense. The Buccaneers have the best run defense in the league, and they are conceding just 3.0 YPC. Jacobs is only averaging 3.6 YPC, and the potential loss of the offensive line would not portend well for his first 100-yard game of 2020. However, the Buccaneers will not have star nose tackle Vita Vea, and they recently signed Steve McLendon in order to shore up the middle of the line.
Tom Brady has owned the Raiders in his career. His first big win was courtesy of the infamous ‘Tuck Rule’, and he has yet to throw an interception in five starts and 172 passes against this team. Brady has finally started to look like the GOAT once again after some hiccups at the start of the season, and he has his full complement of receivers healthy.
Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Scotty Miller were all banged up, but this trio is good to go now. That gives Brady some great options, as Godwin and Evans both made the Pro Bowl last year and he has developed an instant rapport with Miller.
Perhaps the most underrated player on the Buccaneers has been Ronald Jones II. Jones was seen as a potential back-up running back once the team signed Leonard Fournette, but that has not been the case. He is averaging 4.9 YPC, and he has done an excellent job in pass protection.
The Raiders don’t have a good defense, so expect the Buccaneers to move the ball effectively against this team. Las Vegas has a very young secondary, and Damon Arnette is out while Lamarcus Joyner and Johnathan Abram are questionable.
Prediction
This would have been a nice spot to take the Raiders, but the issues along the offensive line mean the Buccaneers must be the pick.
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