The New England Patriots saw their playoff streak end this season. That’s not the same story for ex-Pats quarterback Tom Brady, who showed he can still keep up with the best of them by steering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the postseason. Will Brady and the Bucs advance to the next round by beating the Washington Football Team? Or will the Football Team serve everybody with a shock win over Tampa Bay?
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Betting Preview for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Washington Football Team NFC Wild Card Round January 9, 2021
Where: FedExField in Landover, MD
When: Saturday, January 9, 2021, 8:15 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7.5) vs Washington Football Team (+7.5) – view all 2020 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: NBC
Betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7.5)
Regular Season Record: 11-5
Tom Brady and the playoffs. Name a more iconic duo. Brady is back in the postseason after guiding the Buccaneers to an 11-5 record. The Bucs have been hot of late, as they have gone 4-0 straight up in their last four games, though they beat non-playoff teams in those contests. The Bucs treated the Atlanta Falcons like a glorified sparring partner, as they took Matt Ryan and company down at home, 44-27. Brady finished the regular season with 4,633 passing yards and 40 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions. It’s amazing what Brady has done at age 43, but Father Time appears to have given him a bigger challenge ahead, with Mike Evans likely out for at least the Wild Card weekend. Evans hyperextended his knee in the Atlanta game which forced him to exit early. If he can’t give it a go, though, Brady will still have plenty of weapons downfield to go around. He’s still got Antonio Brown, Chris Godwin, and Robert Gronkowski. Brown and Godwin had two touchdown catches apiece against Atlanta. The Bucs’ defense is also expected to hold against Washington’s anemic offense.
The Bucs, who are allowing 22.2 points per game this season, are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall.
Betting on the Washington Football Team (+7.5)
Regular Season Record: 7-9
How about the Football Team? Washington emerged as the NFC East’s representative in the playoffs after winning the division via a 20-14 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. The Football Team got the victory even with Alex Smith struggling under center. Smith passed for only 162 yards to go with two touchdowns and two interceptions on 22-of-32 completions, while also getting sacked three times for a loss of 17 yards. However, the main strength of this team is not on its offense, but rather on the other side of the ball. Washington finished the regular season ranked fourth in the NFL with 20.6 points allowed per game. In addition, Washington allowed just 304.6 total yards per contest which was second overall in the league. Getting to Tom Brady will be atop the priority list of Washington, which has the pass rush to accomplish that goal. The Football Team has 47 sacks on the season and an 8.16 defensive sack percentage (fourth overall).
Washington is 9-7 against the spread in the 2020 NFL season, thus far.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bucs win, 28-21.
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