NFL Odds 2022: Tom Brady, New-Look Buccaneers In Familiar Spot
Brady's 23rd NFL season very well could end with title No. 8
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers experienced a slew of significant changes over the offseason and into the early stage of preseason.
The Bucs have a new head coach, Tom Brady's longtime favorite weapon is long gone and the legendary quarterback's offensive line has been shuffled. Brady saw both of his guards leave Tampa Bay in the spring and now the starting center is expected to miss significant time.
And yet, the Buccaneers are set to enter the upcoming NFL season as one of the top Super Bowl LVII favorites. A lot of that has to do with Brady, who oddsmakers expect to have a great season even at age 45 and following an uncharacteristic training camp.
Here's what bettors need to know about the 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
2021 in review
13-4, first in NFC South
10-9 against the spread
10-9 over/under
Key offseason additions
OG Shaq Mason
WR Russell Gage
WR Julio Jones
S Keanu Neal
CB Logan Ryan
DL Akiem Hicks
Key offseason losses
TE Rob Gronkowski
OG Alex Cappa
OG Ali Marpet
DT Ndamukong Suh
Look ahead to 2022
Super Bowl: +700
Conference: +330
Division: -250
Win Total: 11.5 (over +110, under -130)
To make playoffs: Yes -650, No +450
2022 award contenders
MVP: Tom Brady +800
Defensive Player of the Year: Devin White +5000
Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Godwin +4000
Coach of the Year: Todd Bowles +2500
2022 outlook
The early days of the campaign might make it sound like it's doom-and-gloom in Tampa Bay, but that's obviously not the case.
Despite substantial changes across the offense, the Brady-let unit is poised to be one of the NFL's best this season. Godwin might not miss much time -- if any -- after his tearing his ACL in Week 15 last season and newcomer Gage, a very capable receiver, is going from a fairly messy situation in Atlanta to a structured one in Tampa Bay. The Bucs also replaced one of their starting guards with one of the best interior linemen in football who just so happens to have five years of experience with Brady.
The head-coaching change in Tampa Bay, meanwhile, might have been an upgrade. Todd Bowles' career record with the Jets doesn't suggest as much, but he wasn't exactly blessed with high-end talent in New York. Bowles is widely regarded as one of the better defensive coaches in football, and his approaches and tendencies might be appreciated more than Arians' by Brady.
The Bucs don't have an "easy" path to the Super Bowl, per se, but they have one of the lighter regular-season schedules in football and the NFC isn't primed to be ultra-competitive this season. A tantalizing Tampa Bay wager can be found in the "stage of elimination" category. The odds for Brady and company to lose in Super Bowl LVII sit at +700, the same number Tampa Bay has to claim the Lombardi Trophy.
