
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills: Week 8 NFL Predictions, Tips and Odds for TNF

The Buffalo Bills might be the highest-variance team in the NFL, blowing out a Super Bowl contender one week and then struggling against basement-dwellers the next.
Despite a rocky 4-3 start to the season, the oddsmakers still have plenty of faith in them, evidenced by the Bills being more than touchdown favourites against the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 8.
Will the Bills bounce back with a blowout win, or will it be a struggle following a close win over the Giants and a stunning loss to the Patriots the past two weeks?
The advanced metrics still like Buffalo, and I have reservations about Baker Mayfield going up against this defence. The Bills haven’t rewarded bettors’ faith of late but I’m taking them to both win this game and cover the spread.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills Betting Prediction
The Bucs are a wonderfully mediocre football team. They are 3-3 on the season with a point-differential of negative-1. The defence is ranked No. 12 in the NFL in efficiency while the offense is No. 24.
Mayfield has had a solid start to the season but his track record suggests regression could be on the horizon. I would not be surprised if the Bills made him turnover-prone in this contest. Mayfield has thrown an interception in each of his past four games.
The Bills are No. 3 in offensive efficiency but quarterback Josh Allen hasn’t been a star in recent outings. Buffalo needs that from him to return to Super Bowl contention, and this is a tough task against a strong Tampa Bay defence.
I don’t think we will see an offensive explosion from Buffalo, but as long as Allen takes care of the ball, the Bills have enough playmakers to eventually pull away in this one.
Prediction: Bills 23, Buccaneers 13
Prop Bet Pick: Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Over/Under 34 Pass Attempts
Mayfield has thrown the ball a decent amount this season, in part because Tampa Bay’s rushing attack has been putrid at 3.1 yards per game. The Buccaneers don’t want that to happen here, and will likely try anything to get the ground game rolling.
Mayfield is a bottom-tier NFL starter, and exposing him to a bunch of dropbacks against the Bills is not a good idea.
I expect the game-plan to be conservative, and for Mayfield to have trouble connecting with receivers when he does throw the ball, which will shorten the drives.
Prediction: Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield under 34 Pass Attempts