The Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not only two teams off to solid starts overall, they’re also two of the best teams against the spread. Let’s break down the betting odds and make a prediction for today’s matchup in Tampa.
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Lions vs. Buccaneers Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Lions -3
- Moneyline: Lions (-166); Buccaneers (+140)
- Over/Under: 42.5
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Location: Raymond James Stadium
- Channel: FOX
Lions vs. Buccaneers Prediction
Viewed as a trendy pick for the playoffs prior to the season, the Lions have so far lived up to that label, with only an overtime loss in Week 2 preventing them from having a perfect record to start.
The issue of winning on the road — something that used to plague the Lions’ franchise — appears to be in the rearview mirror, with Detroit winning at Kansas City and Green Bay so far this season. In fact, dating back to last season, Detroit is 6-1 in its last seven road games.
It would further the Lions’ cause if quarterback Jared Goff could find a way to be more productive away from Ford Field. This season, Goff’s completion percentage (65.1%) and passer rating (90.9) in road games are significantly down from his numbers at home (72.9%, 113.3).
And the Lions do have some injury issues to deal with on both sides of the ball. Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) is out, while defensive back Brian Branch (ankle) will also miss today’s game.
The good news for the Lions is they have a healthy David Montgomery, and Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen) should be able to return to the field after missing last week. Montgomery has back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, and his six rushing touchdowns are second most in the NFL.
As for St. Brown, he leads the Lions in targets (35), receptions (26), and receiving yards (331). His 6.5 receptions per game ranks 11th in the league as well.
Tampa Bay, coming off a bye, will try to get their offense going at home, but they have lacked consistency in this area. The Buccaneers, who rank just 22nd in total offense, have had two games in which they gained at least 350 yards but also two games in which they failed to reach 250.
Facing a Lions defense that is suddenly top 10 in total yards per game allowed (292.8, seventh) will not make it any easier for the Bucs. But Tampa Bay has gotten solid quarterback play from Baker Mayfield, who is one of eight qualified QBs with a passer rating over 100 (101.5).
But if Tampa Bay’s running game, which is averaging a league-worst 3.0 yards per carry, can’t get going, it may not matter how well Mayfield is playing.
There are seven teams that enter Sunday with just one loss against the spread, and this matchup features two of them. The Lions and Buccaneers are now 7-2 combined straight up and 7-2 ATS.
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Tampa Bay has looked better than most probably counted on, but Detroit is looking more and more like one of the elite NFL teams this season.
Elite teams win on the road, and the Lions — 2-0 away from Ford Field — have already proven they can do just that. The Buccaneers are in a familiar spot, as they were underdogs in three of their first four games this season.
Tampa Bay is good, but Detroit is better.
Best Bet: Lions -3 (-112 at DraftKings SportsBook)