The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets will clash on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in a non-conference matchup for Week 17.
The Buccaneers have already clinched the NFC South with an 11-4 record and are fighting for a potential top seed in the NFC to get the bye in the Wild Card round. The Jets are last in the AFC East with a 4-11 record but are still looking to improve as the season winds down.
Buccaneers at Jets Betting Preview
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview: Staying Healthy
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing incredibly well on the offensive side of the field as they are averaging 29.5 points on 411.5 total yards per game. As any team would be, the Bucs are centered around quarterback Tom Brady as he is second with a 65.7 QBR and leading the league in passing yards (4,580) and passing touchdowns (37).
Tampa is dealing with a decent amount of injuries, specifically in the skill position area, as wide receiver Chris Godwin (knee), wide receiver Mike Evans (COVID/hamstring), and running back Leonard Fournette (hamstring) are all expected to be out for this game.
The defense of Tampa Bay have been playing well also as they are giving up 20.8 points per game. They have been able to get into the backfield as they are tied for second with the Minnesota Vikings with 44 total sacks and third in the NFL behind Baltimore and Tennessee with 87.5 rushing yards per game.
They are being led defensively by linebacker Shaquill Barrett as he has ten sacks this season as well as an interception.
New York Jets Preview: Continue Improving
The New York Jets have been struggling this season offensively as they are scoring 18.4 points on 340.5 total yards per game.
They have been seeing some improvements from their rookie quarterback Zach Wilson as he is completing 56.7 percent of his passes for 2,013 yards with seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions through the air and 25 rushing attempts for 161 yards (6.4 yards per carry) with four rushing touchdowns. He needs to work on his accuracy as that has not been there consistently throughout his first season in the NFL.
The defense of the New York Jets have been struggling to get stops as they are allowing 29.9 points and 409.1 yards per game this season. The defense needs to improve as they are only giving up less rushing yards per game than the Pittsburgh Steelers (141.3).
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has been playing well as he has recorded six sacks and two pass deflections this season.
Who to Bet on Buccaneers at Jets
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently favored by 13 points on the road in this game, and that seems way too high as the Jets are going to come into this game against Tom Brady wanting to show off. New York is trying to improve for next season while Tampa Bay is struggling to remain healthy and have bigger fish to fry than to dominate the lowly Jets.
New York’s defense has improved as of late as in their last five games; they are giving up 25.8 points per game, while Tampa Bay is allowing 18 points in that span. The Bucs are 1-4 against the spread in their last five games against the Jets so go with the Jets getting 13 points at home.