The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons face off on Sunday in an NFC South showdown at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. These two teams faced off in September and it was the Buccaneers that won 48-25.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come into this game with an 8-3 record overall and they have gone 5-6 against the spread. In the last game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Buccaneers were really tested, but they outscored the Colts 24-7 in the second half and that was enough for the Vikings. The Bucs are averaging 31.55 points per game which is the best in the NFL. On defense they are giving up 23 points per game which is 15th in the league. Age is just a number to Tom Brady who has thrown for 3,403 yards, 30 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
On the other side of this matchup is the Atlanta Falcons who haven’t looked all that good this season, but they still sit with a 5-6 record and are right in the thick of the playoff hunt, especially with a win in this game. Two games ago the Falcons lost to the Jaguars 25-0 but in the last game they bounced back and beat the Jaguars 21-14. The Falcons are averaging 18.09 points per game while their defense is giving up 27.5 points per game. One of the real bright spots of this team has been Cordarrelle Patterson who has rushed for 411 yards and four touchdowns.
The Buccaneers are 5-0 against the spread in their last 5 games as a favorite of 10.5 or greater. The Falcons are 0-6 against the spread in their last six games in Week 13. The under is 4-0 in the Falcons last four games played in Week 13. The under is 4-0 in the Buccaneers last four games on grass.
The first time these two teams played it was a shootout, which has raised this total, but I like the under to cash. The Falcons offense hasn’t been good most of the season and they are going to struggle to score against the Bucs. The lack of scoring by the Falcons is going to keep this game under the total.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
