It’s always telling to see what the oddsmakers over
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It’s always telling to see what the oddsmakers over
in Las Vegas think about games each and every week. I was especially interested this week for a few reasons. Tampa Bay was coming off of a bye week Chris Godwin Jersey , Atlanta is 1-4 and their season is on the line, but Tampa Bay also just got shelled by Mitchell Trubisky. Either way, it’s a tough game to predict, especially for Vegas.So far this season, the Buccaneers have opened as underdogs every week. That has not changed this week and it will mark the fifth time Tampa Bay has been an underdog this season.In no way am I a professional gambler and in no way am I telling you to put your money with what I predict. This is really just for fun and something we here at Bucs Nation thought the readers would enjoy after sports gambling was legalized. For those that don’t know sports gambling, I will quickly go over the three main bets that are often placed. Also, the lines could always change and the website you use, could be different from mine. Betting with the spread: Currently, the Buccaneers are +3 . This means that if you were to take the Buccaneers with the spread, they could lose by 2 points and you’d win. If they lose by 3 points, it means you push, so the bet offsets. On the opposite side, if you took the Falcons at -3 , they’d have to win by 4 for you to win the bet. Same as before, if you pick the Falcons -3 and they win by 3, you push. Spread bets always have the same odds, which are -110. This means that you need to risk $110 to win $100. This is a classic case of Vegas simply making the home team the favorite. If the game was in Tampa Bay, they would be favored by three points.Money line bets: As of late friday night, the Falcons are anywhere from -150 to -160, depending on the website or sportsbook you use. The Buccaneers are +135 in most cases. In money line bets, all the team you bet on has to do is win. It doesn’t matter if they win by 40 points or 1 points. In terms of what the -160 means for the Falcons , you’d have to risk $160 dollars just to win $100 because they are the favorite to win this game. The Buccaneers at +135 Jameis Winston Jersey , means that a $100 dollar bet would win you $135 dollars.Over/Under bets: Again, no matter what way you pick, the odds in this case are -110. Vegas sports books currently have the over under at 57陆 total points scored . In case you were wondering, 57 陆 is the highest total Vegas has put out on an NFL game this season. The second highest was last weekend’s Steelers Falcons game with a total of 57. If you take the over, the Bucs and Falcons must combined to score 58 points in order for you to win. Obviously, 57 points or under would result in a win if you go that route. Last week was miserable. I took the under 46 陆 (Chicago beat that themselves) and I took Tampa +135 (best value pick) and we all know how that ended. Overall on the season, I have a .500 record (5-5) just like the Buccaneers. Things were looking up until my failure last weekend. We will try and bounce back on the winning side this week. A few things to consider: The total has gone OVER in five of Tampa Bay’s last five games. The total has also gone OVER in five of the last six games Tampa Bay has played on the road. On Atlanta’s side, they also have been hitting the over a lot, especially at home against Tampa Bay. In fact, the total has gone OVER in four of the last five games Atlanta has played host to Tampa Bay. The public is also loving the OVER this week. 63% have taken the over 57 陆 , while 66% have taken Atlanta -3.My picks: This is another tough week in terms of betting. To me, Tampa at +3 holds no real value. If Tampa does lose, I don’t expect it to be a 2 point loss, i’d expect more of a 10-14 point defeat because the defense simply can’t stop anybody. Tampa Bay should win this game. They has two weeks to prepare, they are fresh, healthy and motivated to get back on track and knock the Dirty Birds off the ledge. Value is too good at Tampa +135. Also, just take the over. Neither of these teams can play a lick of defense. Honestly, whichever team gets to 35 first might be the winner. In summary, i’m rolling with Tampa +135 and the over 57 陆. The final wild card game of the weekend features the defending Super Bowl champs visiting Soldier Field and the NFC North champion, Chicago Bears.It’s Nick Foles and Khalil Mack. The upstart Bears who nobody considered a threat when the year began against perhaps the best back-up quarterback in NFL history.But, which Eagles and which Bears might not be wearing the same uniforms next year?That’s what we’re here to look at today.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES2019 FREE-AGENTSPOSITIONNAMEAGEPOSITIONNAMEAGEPLAYER TO WATCH: K, JAKE ELLIOTTBill Streicher-USA TODAY SportsIn today’s NFL Mike Evans Jersey , the kicker has become more important than ever. Fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers know this more than anyone.Jake Elliott has made some impressive kicks in his career through two seasons in the league he has a 83.9% made field goal percentage. He’s made exactly 26 of 31 field goals in each season with longs of 61-yards in 2017 and 56-yards in 2018. Elliott has missed five extra points in the same span.Cairo Santos made 75% of his field goals in his seven weeks with the Bucs making nine of twelve attempts. He made all seventeen of his extra point tries.The Super Bowl winning kicker also had 70% of his kickoffs result in touchbacks. Up from 50% last season.Tampa Bay has struggled to find consistent kickers over the years, and if the Eagles somehow allow Elliott to hit the open market, Jason Licht needs to make sure his first trip is to Tampa, Florida.CHICAGO BEARS2019 FREE-AGENTSPOSITIONNAMEAGEPOSITIONNAMEAGEPLAYER TO WATCH: WR, KEVIN WHITEDennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY SportsIt might be hard to watch White this Sunday, and it’s exactly why he’ll likely be available this off-season.White was active for just the ninth time in 2018 during Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings thanks to an injury to wide receiver Allen Robinson.Robinson likely would have played if it was a must-win, but it wasn’t. So he sat, and White was activated.He made one receptions for 22-yards. The reception gave him four on the year for 92-yards and no touchdowns.White’s longest reception of his career happened this year as well. You might remember it. He caught the hail Mary attempt from quarterback Mitch Trubisky at the one-yard line at the end of Chicago’s loss to New England this year.For his career, White has 25 catches for 285-yards and has yet to find the end zone. For a former first-round draft pick in 2015, saying his career has been a disappointment is a big understatement.Robinson looks like he’s likely to come back in this game against the Eagles. Which means White may be inactive again.If so, it only solidifies what may already be sealed. White will be looking for a new opportunity in 2019. And while the Bucs may have had a rather effective offense in 2018, it’s not everyday you get a chance to rehabilitate a receiver who was once compared to DeAndre Hopkins at the price you’ll get White for this off-season.Philadelphia and Chicago face-off late Sunday afternoon to wrap up wild card weekend.It should be a fun slate of games for all football fans, even if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t a part of it.In case you missed it, you can find the rest of our wild card free-agent preview, here:INDIANAPOLIS COLTS @ HOUSTON TEXANS (SATURDAY, JANUARY 5TH, 4:35 PM EST)SEATTLE SEAHAWKS @ DALLAS COWBOYS (SATURDAY, JANUARY 5TH, 8:15 PM EST)LOS ANGELES CHARGERS @ BALTIMORE RAVENS (SUNDAY, JANUARY 6TH, 1:05 PM EST)