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Oakland Raiders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 17 NFL Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are big 13-point favorites with the total set at 39 in Sunday’s must-win game against the Oakland Raiders. The Bucs will need to end their three-game losing skid and also get some help from the Eagles beating Dallas to earn the sixth and final seed in the NFC playoffs. The fact that the Bucs still have a chance is saying more than a lot or other teams around the league can say, but this team can’t help but think that it should have coasted into the playoffs.

The Bucs fell to 9-6 when it lost at home to the San Diego Chargers 41-24 last week. This could be just the latest late-season collapse under coach Jon Gruden. Since 2002, Tampa Bay is only 13-19 in regular season games in December and January and also lost three of their last four games a season ago.

Defensively, the Bucs have not been as good as they were earlier in the season. They have not done a very good job of getting heat on opposing QB’s, and last week their lack of a pass rush allowed Phillip Rivers to pick them apart. DE Gaines Adams leads the Bucs with only 5.5 sacks this season. The Bucs were 61-16 when scoring 23 points or more in nearly 13 seasons under defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. They have lost two games in the past three weeks in which they scored at least 23 points. In short, the defense is not getting it done the way it has in the past.

Offensively, Tampa Bay is a running football team, but it has not had a 100-yard rusher since October 12th. That puts the pressure on QB Jeff Garcia to make plays. Garcia was solid last week with 232 yards and a touchdown, but also had two interceptions. He was not helped much by the normally sure-handed Antonio Bryant who lost a fumble and dropped a pair of third down passes. If you liked the Tampa Bay to get its head out and do its part to stay alive in the playoff hunt, bet the Buccaneers at -13 at Bookmaker.

The Raiders have not been kind to NFL betting backers as they are an NFL-worst 24-72 record since 2003. The Raiders did show some spark last week, however, as they defeated a hot Houston Texans team 27-16. The Raiders will look to build off of its best performance of the season and play spoiler this week. The Raiders have to feel good about the game rookie playmaker Darren McFadden had last week. He rushed for 46 yards on 12 carries and caught five ball for 41 more yards. Wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins is quietly emerging as Oakland’s big play threat. He scored on a 29-yard touchdown pass and also returned a punt 80 yards for a score. But above all else, the Raiders have to be the most happy with QB JaMarcus Russell, who had a passer rating of 128.1. It was his second highest of the season. He was 18 of 25 for 236 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. He made a concerted effort to look for tight end Zach Miller who finished with four catches for 70 yards. I look for Miller to have another big game if Russell looks in his direction.

Defensively, the Raiders really cracked down on the Texans running game, holding Steve Slaton to only 66 yards on 18 totes. He has previously gained at least 100 yards in each of his last three games. It was a big step in the right direction for the NFL’s 31st ranked defense. If you like Oakland to hang with the Bucs this week, bet the Raiders at +13 at Bookmaker.

Beat the Sunday NFL odds for the fifth straight week with Jimmy Boyd’s award winning NFL picks.

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