Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers Preview
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
When: Sunday, October 23, 2016, 4:30 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2) vs. San Francisco 49ers (+2);total: 47.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
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Betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2)
The Bucs snapped their three-game skid in the grandest of ways, taking down the defending NFC champ Carolina in Week 5 on the road, 17-14. Granted, the Panthers played sans Cam Newton, the Bucs nonetheless got the spark they need to get back in the thick of race in the NFC South division.
Now following a bye, the Bucs look to carry the momentum into the West Coast, where they’ll meet a careening 49ers squad. The Bucs are 2-1 ATS in their last three road games overall.
In the victory over the Panthers, Tampa Bay flashed brilliance from the backfield with Jacquizz Rodgers gnawing at Carolina’s defense for 101 rushing yards on 30 carries. Look for Tampa Bay to be run heavy in Santa Clara, as the 49ers’ run defense is currently ranked worst in the league with 174.3 yards per game. Just last Sunday, the Niners allowed 312 rushing yards to Buffalo, a very encouraging sign for Rodgers and company.
This doesn’t mean that the Bucs will not take advantage of the talent in their passing game, which features the young tandem of Jameis Winston and Mike Evans. Winston passed for 219 yards with a touchdown on 18 of 30 completions in the Panthers game, while Evans recorded 89 receiving yards on six catches to go with a TD grab.
Betting on the San Francisco 49ers (+2)
Of course, Colin Kaepernick will come in rusty in his season debut after all those kneeling. What’s rustier, however, was the aforementioned San Francisco defense that looked like the football equivalent of a full toilet.
Kaepernick, however, played better than Blaine Gabbert, as the dual-threat quarterback passed for 187 yards with a touchdown and rushed for 66 more on eight carries. His ability to run the ball gives San Francisco’s offense much needed dynamism though it was obviously not enough to win in Buffalo.
Perhaps another week of practice as the starter and a lighter defense presented by Tampa Bay would help Kaepernick recover the same form he had when he led the Niners to a Super Bowl appearance three years ago. Tampa Bay is just 27th in the NFL in scoring defense and 20th in total defense.
Having Kaepernick run the Niners’ attack seamlessly would also mean fewer minutes for the team’s rotten defense on the field. San Francisco was absolutely trucked by Buffalo, especially on the ground, where LeSean McCoy burned rubber for 140 yards with three rushing touchdowns.
The under is 8-2 in San Francisco’s last 10 games as the home team.
Writer’s Prediction
San Francisco (+2) wins, 27-24.
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