Tennessee Titans vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction 8/9/2025 Today’s NFL Picks

The Tennessee Titans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet in week 1 NFL Preseason action from Raymond James Stadium on Saturday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Tennessee Titans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers prediction.

Tennessee Titans Team Preview

After a horrendous 3-14 campaign in 2024, their worst record since 2015, the Tennessee Titans enter the 2025 season looking to rebound under second-year head coach Brian Callahan. Tennessee finished last in the AFC South and missed the playoffs for a third straight year, prompting an offseason overhaul of both leadership and roster. The team brought in Mike Borgonzi as general manager and used the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on quarterback Cam Ward. Ward joins an offense that struggled last year but now features a revamped offensive line after the Titans signed left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and veteran guard Kevin Zeitler to bolster protection. Last season’s starter Will Levis remains on the roster as he recovers from shoulder surgery, and veteran Brandon Allen was added for depth, but all eyes are on Ward to eventually take the helm. The offense will rely on wideout Calvin Ridley, who topped 1,000 yards in 2024, and running back Tony Pollard, who eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, to support the young quarterback. Defensively, Tennessee leans on Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, acquired via trade in 2024, while reinforcing the unit by signing pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones and safety Xavier Woods. With Callahan’s staff, including defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, implementing an aggressive approach, the Titans aim to improve on last year’s results and make a push for their first postseason berth since 2021.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team Preview

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter 2025 coming off a 10-7 season in 2024 that earned them a fourth straight NFC South title, though it ended with a narrow Wild Card playoff loss. Under head coach Todd Bowles, the Bucs return the core of a balanced roster, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is back after a resurgent year to lead an offense featuring star receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka adds another weapon to that unit. The team did make a change at offensive coordinator, hiring Josh Grizzard to keep last year’s high-scoring attack on track. Defensively, veterans like linebacker Lavonte David, nose tackle Vita Vea and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. remain anchors, and Tampa Bay made a splash by signing two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick to boost the pass rush after parting ways with longtime sack leader Shaquil Barrett. With most of last season’s starters still in place and these key additions, the Buccaneers are poised to contend for another division crown and are aiming for a deeper postseason run in 2025.

Tennessee Titans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction

I’m leaning towards the Bucs here at home. It’ll be interesting to see how the Titans manage their roster with trying to get new pieces playing time while trying to manage health, but sometimes for me it boils down to who is the better team and who has the deeper squad as you’re going to see these pieces with more of the starters taking to the sidelines in the preseason and I feel like side-by-side, the Bucs have the much deeper squad. In the end, I think the wrong team is favored here, so I’ll take the points with Tampa Bay in this one.