Redskins at Buccaneers NFL Preseason Lines & Betting Preview

Redskins at Buccaneers NFL Preseason Lines & Betting Preview

Written by on August 29, 2017

The Washington Redskins were a team in turmoil for several years, but things seemed to calm down a little with the arrival of Kirk Cousins at QB. It would appear that the circus has rolled back into town, though, as they have already fired their GM and placed the franchise tag on their QB for the second straight season. Cousins has expressed his desire to stay in Washington, but the longer this team puts off paying him the money that he probably deserves, the likelier it is that he is going to cut his losses and go elsewhere at some point. That may well happen if the Redskins fail to make the playoffs again this NFL preseason. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a big step forward last season, coming close to making the playoffs. They look like a team that can challenge the Falcons and Panthers for the NFC South this season, although they are no longer going to be able to take anyone by surprise like they did last season. This team is a legitimate dark horse in the making, and some savvy offseason acquisitions may have turned them into a real playoff contender. The Redskins and Buccaneers will hook up in Tampa in their final game of the 2017 NFL preseason. Here’s a look at why the Buccaneers are the NFL odds favorites against the Redskins on Thursday.

Redskins at Buccaneers NFL Preseason Lines & Betting Preview

When: Thursday, August 31 at 7:30 PM EST Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa TV: NFL Network Radio:  ESPN Radio WTEM 980 AM (Washington) / WDAE 620 AM (Tampa Bay) Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Preseason Odds: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2½ (-110)

Weather Forecast

  • Thunderstorm: 31°C/87°F
  • Humidity: 75%
  • Precipitation: 82%
  • Cloud Cover: 75%
  • Wind: 4 mph SW
  • Stadium Type: Open

Straight Up Stats

It was a bit of a disappointing year for the Redskins in 2016, as they only managed to put together an 8-7-1 record, which meant they missed the playoffs. That took their 3-year record to 21-27-1, which included an 8-15 record on the road. The Redskins are the underdog for this game, and will need to improve on their 6-13 road dog record over the past 3 seasons if they hope to come away with a positive result. It was an unexpectedly good year for this young Buccaneers squad, as they put together a 9-7 record, taking them to 17-31 over the past 3 seasons. This is a team that was not very competitive in their own building during that run, going just 7-17. On the few occasions that they were in as the home favorite, the Bucs went just 4-8. Expect that tide to turn this NFL preseason.

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Point Spread Stats

The Redskins come into this one as a 2 ½ point underdog. While their SU record left something to be desired, the Skins did manage to go 10-6 ATS last season. That record was something of an improvement on previous seasons, and took their record since 2014 to 24-25. The Redskins did a little better on the road ATS, going 12-11, which included a 10-9 record as the road dog. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 9-7 ATS in the 2016 NFL pre season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 9-7 ATS in the 2016 season, which was a little better than their previous efforts, taking them to 23-25 since 2014. During that 3-year span, the Bucs went just 8-16 ATS as a home team, and a very disappointing 3-9 as the home favorite.

OVER/UNDER Stats

The O/U for this game is set at 36 ½ points. There were a lot of points scored in the Redskins games last season, with the O/U at 12-4. That has been a consistent trend for this team, as their 3-year record was 30-19, the second most OVER games in the league during that time. On the road, the OVER hit 15 times in 23 games, with the overall record at 12-7 when the Skins were a road dog. Things were a little tighter for Tampa, with their 2016 O/U record coming in at 7-8-1, taking their 3-year tally to 21-26-1. In games played at Raymond James during this stretch, the O/U record was 10-14, which included a 5-7 record when Tampa Bay were in as the home favorite.

Team Statistics

Washington Redskins

Offensive total yards 403.62 Current Offensive rush yards 106.25 Offensive passing yards 297.38 Average Score For 24.75 Defensive total yards 377.75 Current Defensive rush yards 119.75 Defensive passing yards 258.00 Average Score Against 23.94

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Offensive total yards 346.38 Current Offensive rush yards 101.19 Offensive passing yards 245.19 Average Score For 22.12 Defensive total yards 367.94 Current Defensive rush yards 116.94 Defensive passing yards 251.00 Average Score Against 23.06

Expert NFL Preseason Pick and Final Score Prediction

The Redskins have had the better of this match-up, winning 2 of their last 3 meetings with Tampa Bay. I think the Buccaneers win this by a FG, and I believe that the score will be low, which means that the UNDER is the bet for me. Washington Redskins 14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17