While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have plenty of star power, what they haven’t accrued yet in 2022 is style points. The Buccaneers opened the season with a pair of solid wins, but they were ugly looking.
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Enthusiasm for Tampa Bay’s prospects for winning the Super Bowl haven’t wavered too much. Even with Brady playing at age 45, he still has shown he can put zip on his passes. However, Brady’s numbers have started to slow down. What Tampa Bay may need to do in order to hit exceed its win total is lean more on the running game.
The over/under on wins by the Buccaneers is set at 11.5. Tampa Bay is +700 to win the Super Bowl, among the favorites with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. Here’s a look at how to bet the win total and a look at their Super Bowl odds.
Schedule isn’t bad
The Buccaneers established from Week 1 that their defense wasn’t to be messed with. Playing the Dallas Cowboys, who had starting quarterback Dak Prescott for most of the game, Tampa Bay didn’t give an inch. The Buccaneers followed that up with their second straight win over the Saints.
Tampa Bay then has two tough home games against Green Bay and Kansas City. The Buccaneers are paired with the AFC North for four games, which doesn’t look quite as intimidating as before the season. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati all have been exposed with having major flaws.
Within their division, Tampa Bay doesn’t have any legitimate challenges. New Orleans is a wild card with Jameis Winston at quarterback, while Atlanta and Carolina are both rebuilding. The way the schedule sets up makes Tampa Bay a strong contender to go over the win total.
Lenny drives the bus
Leonard Fournette has shown he is capable of taking the pressure off of Brady. Tampa Bay’s offensive staff must have a lot of confidence in him as well. In the first two games of the season, the Buccaneers ran the ball 63 times. Forty-five of those were taken by Fournette, who went for 192 yards and an average of 4.3 yards per carry.
Having a consistent run game helps everyone.
Passing game needs to find continuity
Brady has had a hard time completing passes down the field, only averaging 6.6 yards per completing early in the season. Tampa Bay has had injuries and suspensions impact the receiving core. Chris Godwin has struggling with recurring injuries.
Michael Evans Jr. will miss a game due to suspension. Veteran free agent Julio Jones is still trying to find his role as well.
Are Bucs best team in NFC?
The defending NFC and Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams have looked like they are stuck in a haze early in the season. When it comes to the Rams, Tampa Bay would like another shot at them after the Buccaneers were knocked off by them in the divisional round. Green Bay looks like it has some chemistry issues as quarterback Aaron Rodgers break in new receivers.
Is is possible the San Francisco 49ers or Arizona Cardinals can figure things out? Both have a lot of talent, but uncertainty under center. The NFC East doesn’t feature any legitimate title challengers either.
Looking for the right number
Betting on the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl is about getting the right number. With Tampa Bay paying at 7-to-1 right now, the time may not be right to bet the Bucs. It may be worth waiting until Tampa Bay hits a rough patch during the season.
There is always some risk that age may finally catch up to Brady. If the veteran quarterback misses time, it may be worth trying to catch Tampa Bay during his hiatus, however long it may be. Tampa Bay is once again one of the league’s top teams an should be in the mix to win the championship.