Green Bay Packers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds & Game Pick (2020)
Some of the luster was taken off of the Week 6 meeting between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Tampa Bay lost last Thursday night against the Chicago Bears. Nevertheless, it remains a potential playoff preview of two NFC contenders. If that is not enough, it features two of the most talented quarterbacks of all-time in Aaron Rodgers against Tom Brady. Can the Buccaneers knock the Packers from the ranks of the unbeaten?
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Details
- Opening Lines: DraftKings had the odds open as Packers -1.5; O/U 54
- Current Line: Packers -1
- O/U: 55
- Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
- Start Time: 4:25 pm ET
- Television: FOX
- Last Meeting: December 3, 2017 – Packers 26, Buccaneers 20
View consensus picks from top betting experts for Packers at Buccaneers >>
Overview
The Green Bay Packers enter this week as one of four remaining unbeaten teams. They aim for their third straight win over an NFC South opponent as they have beaten the Saints and Falcons the last two weeks. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is playing at an MVP level early in the season and has led the Packers offense to a league-best 38.0 PPG. Rodgers is third in the league with 303.5 passing yards per game and has an impressive 13 touchdowns to no interceptions. His passer rating of 128.4 is second only to Russell Wilson’s 129.8. Still, there are some skeptics about the Packers as their three wins outside of winning at New Orleans are against teams that are a combined 2-12.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are another difficult team to figure out based on the strength of their opponents. The Buccaneers have lost two games against winning teams, as the Saints and Bears are a combined 7-3. However, their three wins have come against teams that are a combined 5-9. Their win against Carolina however is looking more impressive considering the Panthers have won three straight games.
It could be argued that Tampa Bay’s struggles on Thursday night against Chicago were a result of a number of injuries to their skill position players. Tampa Bay played that game without the services of wide receivers Chris Godwin and Justin Watson, running backs LeSean McCoy and Leonard Fournette, and tight end O.J. Howard. Despite all that, the Buccaneers had a chance for a game-winning drive but ended with Tom Brady’s gaffe of apparently not knowing what down it was.
Trends
- The Buccaneers are 1-13 ATS in their last 14 October home games
- The Buccaneers have won the first half in each of their last six home games following a loss.
- The Packers are 10-1 SU in their last 11 games.
Prop Bet
Highest Scoring Half: 2nd Half (-109)
The odds of which half will be higher scoring between the first and second half are dead even, but I am not so sure they should be. The Packers are coming off a bye week while the Buccaneers may still be breaking in players coming off injuries or playing without their services altogether. Either way, look for this game to open up more after halftime once these teams have had 30 minutes to feel each other out. Betting the second half to be higher scoring also allows for the possibility of teams playing prevent defense if they are comfortably ahead.
Bottom Line
Much of the betting action for this game will likely take place later in the week or on Sunday once bettors have an idea of who is playing and who is not. There is plenty to monitor on Tampa Bay’s side, as a large number of players were once again limited in practice mid-week. In addition, Green Bay wide receiver Davante Adams finally appears on track to play after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury.
With the Buccaneers and how their roster was constructed this offseason, one knew they were only going to get better as the season went on. With five games under their belt, the Tampa Bay offense should start to be able to hit their stride. If Leonard Fournette and Chris Godwin specifically can play, it should help take the burden off players like Ronald Jones and Mike Evans who have been shouldering much of the load without them.
The narrative surrounding the Packers after last year’s loss in the NFC Championship was that they were not as good as their 13-3 record indicated. Now that they have started 4-0, it is interesting to wonder if we are headed down the same path as far as how they are viewed. The bottom line is that there is arguably no better quarterback in history off a loss than Tom Brady. He will likely have the team’s full attention in meetings all week and I look for a much better effort at home against Green Bay,
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.