The Buccaneers need to get the ship righted…
…but tonight may not be the best time to try and pull that off.
Slipping Away From Tampa Bay
What Happened: Things have soured for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pretty quickly, and playing the two-time defending champion Chiefs probably isn’t anyone’s idea of a cure.
Wins over the Commanders and Lions was a strong start for the Bucs, and after six weeks of play, a 4-2 record had them tied for the lead in the NFC South.
Why It Matters: October was not kind to Todd Bowles’ team. The Buccaneers went just 1-3. Crucially, two of those losses came against the Falcons, letting Atlanta back into the race for the division lead and also giving it an early edge on tiebreakers.
Tampa Bay is now sub-20% in terms of projections to win the division, with Atlanta at a clean 80%.
For Baker Mayfield and this team to get back on track, it will have to knock off the Chiefs tonight, something no other NFL club has been able to pull off this season. And it’s not looking likely to happen on Monday Night Football; FanDuel has the Chiefs installed as -480 favorites to win, and the spread on the game is 9.5 points.
What We’re Watching Today
Bucks at Cavaliers (7:30 PM ET) – The Cavaliers have so far made a statement, opening their season 7-0 and collecting impressive wins over the Knicks, Lakers, and Bucks. Giannis and Dame go for revenge tonight after Saturday’s single-point defeat.
Magic at Thunder (9:15 PM ET) – Orlando won three of its first four games and Paolo Banchero looked set to make the leap to superstar status. Now, the former Duke star is dealing with an oblique injury that will keep him out until at least December, and the Magic have dropped three straight, spoiling a promising start to the campaign.
The Look Ahead
Cade Otton RECEIVING YARDS – Otton has a chance to fill the void left by several injured playmakers on this Tampa Bay squad. Receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan are both questionable for tonight’s game, as is Sterling Shepard, while Chris Godwin has already hit IR. Otton has gotten double-digit targets in two straight weeks and logged 80+ yards in both, including a 100-yard effort against the Ravens in Week 7. Baker Mayfield is clearly comfortable targeting his tight end in the passing game, and with Otton’s line set at 48.5 yards, we like him to top that for a third straight game.
