Falcons

Buccaneers

Regular season play concludes with an all-NFC South showdown as we prepare for NFL Week 18 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons. The two squads are familiar with one another, and both want to beat their rival. If you bet on NFL games, how will you play this one? Let’s give you some insight so you can place the best NFL bets today.

As a franchise, the Atlanta Falcons are ushering in a new era. Since Matt Ryan was traded to the Colts during the off-season, Arthur Smith is in his second season without him. Former league MVP and all-time passing leader Matt Ryan has retired, leaving Atlanta’s season in the hands of either seasoned veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota or promising youngster Desmond Ridder. However, they have weapons in the form of tight end Kyle Pitts and rookie receiver Drake London, giving their quarterback a lot of options, which brings a lot to the table for NFL football scores.

Even though the Falcons cut ties with their veteran quarterback, the Buccaneers got lucky when theirs remained. Tom Brady called off his retirement before it even began, but the Patriots will be playing under new head coach Todd Bowles after Bruce Arians officially stepped down. Since many players from the 2020 champion team will still be in Florida, the Bucs will not settle for anything less than a Super Bowl appearance. Last season, Tom Brady led the league in passing, and with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage, the Patriots’ receiving corps should be dangerous once again this year (remember to take advantage of the NFL standings today!)

Until last year, the Buccaneers had won four consecutive games against their divisional rival. Tampa easily won both meetings between the two teams in 2017. A similar outcome is expected this year, so the NFL betting odds point to a Bucs road victory. With a Tampa offense that looks very powerful on paper, and with Tampa Tom expected to throw plenty of yards against a weak Falcons defense, the Over/Under should be high.