Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Green Bay Packers: Need to slow them down

Missed opportunity

This should be a good one. NFC seems to be wide open this year and these two teams are definitely in contention for it. Tampa Bay did hurt their chances though with a defeat at Chicago in TNF, last week. They were in a good position to win that game, but were simply unable to close it out. Their offense looks good and should look even better after the announcement that we should see Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette back in the lineup tonight. Tom Brady will need to take better care of the ball, something he wasn't doing that well so far this season. He threw 4 interceptions so far. He can't afford to turn the ball over tonight, where every possession will count.

Looking at the other side of the ball, they are still by far the best run defense in the league. Allowing only 2.7 yards per carry is astonishing. Todd Bowles did a great job with that unit, but unfortunately for them, Packers have the ability to play around their defensive strengths and attack through the air. Another bad news is the status of their No.1 cornerback - Carlton Davis. He will be a true game-time decision tonight.

Scarry-good

His absence would be even more important tonight, compared to some other match-ups because of the facts I mentioned above. Packers will air it out and the Bucs will need all the help they can get in their pass defense. Davante Adams is also back after being sidelined for several weeks. There are only a handful corners in this league that can go toe-to-toe with him and Carlton Davis is not one of them. So even if he plays, he'll need a lot of help from his teammates to limit Adams' production. But that will open a lot of space for other receivers to work. Bottom line, Bucs pass defense will probably find themselves between a rock and a hard place in this one.

What they could do to help their defense is extend their drives on offense and simply keep the ball out of Rodgers' hands. Packers run defense is among the worst in the league, allowing almost five yards per carry. Tampa Bay has several good running backs like Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette that could constantly get nice chunks of yardage on the ground.

Buccaneers vs Packers betting tips

It is tricky to predict how this game is going to play out. It will definitely depend on the Bucs' running game. If they manage to extend drives with help of their running game, they will take away a number of possessions from Rodgers. Also, their defense will be well rested for those possessions. But, if the Packers get into an early lead, Tampa bay will be forced to abandon that plan and get into a shootout with them. All options are possible here, which is why I'll most likely avoid the main markets in this one.

But I'll try to make money with Davante Adams' return to the lineup. I think he'll draw a lot of the attention, so the other guys will get a lot of one on one match-ups. A receiver that could benefit from that is Marquez Valdes-Scantling. He is one of those deep threat receivers that can cover a receiving yards line with a single catch. Rodgers is not afraid to take shots downfield (especially when he draws defenses offside), so I expect him to beat this line tonight.

Also, don't forget to check out our new feature for comparing outright odds. These two opponents are both part of the NFC conference. Odds for winning it can be found with this link: https://theplayer.com/odds/american-football/usa/nfl/nfl-nfc-conference-winner