Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills NFL Predictions & Lines

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head north to take on the Buffalo Bills this Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Week 2 action. The Bucs are looking to bounce back from a 34-21 loss to the Cowboys and the Bills are looking to put a 25-24 heartbreaking loss to the Patriots behind them with hopes of bringing their record back to .500 this week. This series has been all Tampa Bay with the Bucs winning six of the past seven meetings to take a 6-2 lead in the all-time series. But the teams have not met since 2005 when the Bucs won 19-3 behind a big day from running back Cadillac Williams. NFL odds makers have the Buffalo Bills listed as a 5-point favorite with the total set at 42.

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Byron Leftwich proved he is still a capable starter in the NFL with a 276-yard performance in his Bucs’ debut. But he did all that without getting Antonio Bryant involved much. Bryant is listed as questionable for this week’s game with a knee injury, but he is a legitimate deep threat who Leftwich is going to have to look for. The good news is that Michael Clayton, already considered a bust my some Bucs fans, got off to a strong start with five grabs for 93 yards. While Buffalo’s pass defense was vulnerable against the Patriots last week, the Bucs are still going to want to make sure Williams gets his carries. He ran for 97 yards and a score in the opener and the Bucs are 10-0 when he has at least 22 rushing attempts in a game.

While the Bucs appear to be just fine offensively, the defense is going to have to step up this week if the Bucs hope to come out on top in their first ever trip to Buffalo. Tampa Bay has not been the same defensively since coordinator Monte Kiffin left toward the end of last season. The Bucs were torched for 462 yards in Week 1 by the Cowboys. But it is worth noting that the Bills are 0-5 against the spread in their last five home games. If you think Tampa Bay has what it takes to take the Bills down to the wire on the road, bet the Buccaneers at +5 at BetUS.

Buffalo looked pretty good in Week 1, but not good enough to beat division rival New England on Monday Night Football. In fact, Buffalo held an 11-point advantage over the Patriots with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Offensively, the Bills have to be pleased with the play of QB Trent Edwards, who was 15 of 25 for 212 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 114.1. I’ll be watching to see if Edwards starts looking Terrell Owens’ way more often in Week 2. The star wideout finished with just two grabs for 46 yards and was obviously unhappy as he refused to speak about it after the game. I was very impressed by Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel in Week 1. He put some good heat on Tom Brady and even picked off a screen pass for a touchdown. Expect Schobel to be a big part of Buffalo’s success this season. It is worth noting that the Bills are 11-3 against the number in their last 14 Week 2 contests and 4-1 against the spread in their last five games following a straight up defeat. If you like Buffalo to bounce back strong, bet the Bills at -5 at BetUS.

*Note: Jimmy Boyd’s NFL expert picks were a dominant 3-1 on the first Sunday of the season. Make sure you’re playing who Jimmy’s playing for another Sunday in the Black.

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