Thursday Night Football: New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Patriots Try to Get Back on Winning Track Tonight
The New England Patriots (2-2) play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) tonight at 8:25 p.m. The Pats defense has really let them down thus far while the Bucs D has performed much better. New England is allowing 32.0 PPG, while Tampa Bay is giving up 21.3. Our New England plays Tampa Bay 2017 NFL pick offers the Patriots at -4.0 and the over/under stands at 54.5. New England is coming off a 33-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Buccaneers won their last game as they beat the New York Giants 25-23.
New England Pluses and Minuses
The Patriots still have Tom Brady at QB and Bill Belichick as coach. Gronkowski will most likely play, but he’s nursing an injury. Wideout Matthew Slater is questionable. Brady has yet to toss an interception. He’s got 10 TD passes. Brady has been sacked 13 times. Along with Gronk, Brandon Cooks is having a solid season as a pass catcher. RB Mike Gillislee, who is averaging 3.4 YPA and has a total of 194 yards, has run for four TDs. The down and dirty here is this team can score.
The other part of the down and dirty is this is a team that cannot stop other teams from scoring. Three players are either out or questionable on defense, including two corners. The team has a tough time against the run, as they have just four TFL and are giving up 132.8 YPG on the ground. Total yardage allowed per game is 468. The team has three FF, three picks, and eight sacks.
Patriots Summary
- Brady is vulnerable to the sack
- Pats lack a solid running game
- Defense is porous
Tampa Bay Pluses and Minuses
QB Jameis Winston has tossed six TD passes and three picks while being sacked five times. Seven receivers are averaging double digits on catches with Mike Evans gaining over 11 yards per catch and scoring twice. The running game is fairly healthy as three players are averaging four or more yards per carry. This is not an explosive offense, but they can make things happen.
The defense is holding opponent scoring down, but they have just one sack. They are tough versus the run and have posted a dozen TFL. They also 14 PD. Both of tbose are good numbers. They have grabbed one pick.
Buccaneers Summary
- Offense is productive
- Very little pressure on QBs
- Defense is holding opponent scoring and yardage down
Top Three Factors
- Pats D is scary
- Bucs offense lackluster
- Tampa Bay is at home
New England Plays Tampa Bay 2017 NFL Pick
In making our New England plays Tampa Bay 2017 NFL pick we have to consider that New England is having a very difficult time stopping anyone from scoring. At the same time, the Bucs have been unable to put many points on the board. Oddly enough, we like the over in this game and the Pats at -4.0. We’re looking at NE to put about 33 points on the board and Tampa to toss about 26 up there.
New England Plays Tampa Bay 2017 NFL Pick: Pats at -4.0 and over 54.5
