NFL Odds: Patriots Road Favorites Vs. Buccaneers In Week 5 Despite Defense
The New England Patriots will have little time to find solutions to their early-season defensive woes before returning to action to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday as 5 1/2-point road favorites on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England closed out September with a 2-2 record for the first time since 2014 after last week’s 33-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers as nine-point home chalk. It now has surrendered 33 or more points three times this season going into Thursday night’s Patriots vs. Buccaneers betting matchup at Raymond James Stadium.
The Patriots’ inability to shut down opposing offenses has put them in an unfamiliar position at the bottom of NFL defensive statistics. New England ranks 31st at 32 points allowed per game and sits dead last in the NFL after surrendering an average of 456.8 total yards per game through its first four outings of the season.
Fortunately, the Patriots, who remain atop the Super Bowl odds despite their struggles, have been able to counter their porous defense with characteristically strong performances with the ball. New England trails only the surprising Los Angeles Rams at 32.3 points scored per game while racking up a league-leading 423.8 yards per game.
Not surprisingly, that has resulted in four straight wins for the over in totals betting while boosting the total in Thursday’s contest to a lofty 56 points.
While the Patriots have regularly engaged in high-scoring shootouts this season, the 2-1 Buccaneers have battled the inconsistency that cost them a chance to return to the NFL playoffs last season for the first time in a decade.
Since seeing its Week 1 matchup with the Miami Dolphins postponed due to Hurricane Irma, Tampa Bay has alternated between straight-up wins and losses in three outings. But the Buccaneers have emerged as a strong bet on home turf with outright victories in their past six, including last week’s narrow 25-23 victory over the New York Giants as 2 1/2-point home chalk.
The Buccaneers have kept scoring to a minimum during their current tear on home turf, holding opponents to just 12 points per game and combining with opponents to score 36 or fewer total points on four occasions.
However, it has been a different story when Tampa Bay has faced the Patriots, who have averaged 28.6 points per game in three straight victories over the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers tallied just 10 total points in those matchups, contributing to a meager average of 11.6 points per game scored while going 2-6 SU in eight all-time meetings with New England.
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