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In the final game on the Saturday slate of Super Wild Card Weekend, the No. 5 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the No. 4 seed Washington Football Team at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC.
The Buccaneers (11-5), led by Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, won four straight games to end the 2020 NFL regular season. In Week 17, the Bucs destroyed the Atlanta Falcons 44-27. It was the second-straight game where Tampa Bay scored 40-plus points. As for the Washington Football Team (7-9), they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 20-14 last Sunday to win the NFC East crown.
Unlike the Bucs, the Football Team struggled down the stretch, going 2-2 in their last four games. If Washington wants to pull the upset over Brady Co., they will need their defense to create a turnover or two. And we will need to see who WFT names the starting quarterback for Saturday night. It will be either Alex Smith or backup Taylor Heinicke.
So where are sports bettors going as we get closer to game time? Let’s take a look. All odds and info were provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Point Spread
Tampa Bay is favored by eight points heading into this NFC playoff matchup. The Buccaneers are also receiving 70% of the bets and 73% of the handle.
Is the public right?
Unlike the previous NFC playoff game between the Rams and Seahawks, this game should an easy cover for the Bucs and bettors. The Buccaneers’ offense has been clicking on all cylinders, averaging 40.7 points in the last three games. Now granted, Tampa Bay might be without Mike Evans and is going up against a tough WFT defense, which is not good recipes for success. However, I trust Brady and Co. to move the ball against the WFT defense, than Alex Smith against the Buccaneers’ defense.
Over/Under
The point total for this primetime contest is set at 44.5. As of now, 61% of the bets but only 33% of the handle are siding with the over.
Is the public right?
This is a tough O/U to pick as there’s a ton of action for the under, but a lot of bets are going with the over, which isn’t a surprise. As previously mentioned, the Bucs are averaging 40.7 points per game in their last three games. Meanwhile, WFT’s defense is only giving up 18 points per game over that same span of time. But looking at the Bucs’ offensive firepower, I think they can complete big plays against WFT’s defense.
Moneyline
The Buccaneers have moneyline odds of -375, with the Football Team’s odds coming in at +310. Out of all the moneyline bets placed for this game, Tampa Bay is seeing 87% of the bets and 87% of the handle.
Is the public right?
Yes, the public is right with this pick. The Buccaneers are the better football team on both sides of the ball, especially on offense. Even if Mike Evans does not play, I still believe Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown can find ways to create big plays through the air. Then, I also believe that the Bucs’ defense can contain WFT running back Antonio Brown, who is dealing with a nagging toe injury.
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