Buccaneers vs. Falcons Week 15 TNF: NFL Betting Odds & Picks

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) are still sitting atop the NFC South. But only by a hair. They are tied with the Carolina Panthers right now, with a flimsy tiebreaker keeping them in first place. The Bucs need a get right game, and playing the free-falling Atlanta Falcons (4-9) at home could be just what the doctor ordered. Check out our betting picks and favorite player props for the Thursday Night Football matchup, as well as the top NFL betting odds in Canada!

NFL Week 15 TNF: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) vs. Atlanta Falcons (4-9) Odds & Picks - Dec. 11

All odds provided by Betway.

Buccaneers vs. Falcons Game Prediction

The Buccaneers have lost six games, but considering five of those came against the Eagles, Patriots, Bills, Rams, and Lions, five of the best teams in football, it wasn’t really cause for alarm. A loss to the two-win Saints, however, is a different story. Last week’s shocking upset was Tampa’s fourth loss in five weeks since their bye. They have not covered the spread in five weeks either.

However, things are looking up for the Bucs here in Week 15. They still hold the division lead through a tiebreaker with the Panthers, and they get to play at home here on a short week. Not to mention they’re taking on the Falcons, who are one of the few teams that are on an even worse run than Tampa. The Falcons have gone 1-7 straight up since their promising 3-2 start.

Kirk Cousins had a couple of decent weeks there, but in their blowout loss to the Seahawks in Week 14, he started to look a lot more like the guy who got benched last year for throwing too many picks. Heck, this is a team that lost to the Jets just a couple of weeks ago.

Atlanta’s top 10 pass defense is no longer as it seems either. Over the past four games, they have allowed 257 yards per game through the air, third-most in football. And that works out pretty well for the Buccaneers. Emeka Egbuka has been holding down the receiving corps basically on his own for much of the year. But it’s about to be 100 percent again with both Mike Evas and Jalen McMillan returning from IR.

The Buccaneers are fighting for their playoff lives, while the Falcons are looking for a better draft pick (again). We’ll take the spread but we’ll buy up a point. Can’t forget the divisional game tax.

Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Alternative -3.5 Point Spread (-135)

Buccaneers vs. Falcons Player Prop Best Bets

Bucky Irving was listed with foot and shoulder issues during his two-month stint on IR, but now it’s just the shoulder. And he was a full participant in practice on Monday.

He’s averaged 18 touches per game in the two games since he’s been reinserted into the lineup. Before the injury, Irving was playing 70+ percent of the snaps. Over the past couple of games, they’ve been easing him back in with about 50. We’d expect that to climb significantly this week.

And even if his snap count didn’t jump, we’d still like his yards from scrimmage prop, which sits at 88.5 as we write this. Irving has had exactly 81 in both games since finishing his recovery from injury. In the three games prior to his injury, he was averaging over 128 per contest. We think he gets back to that level this week, which is why the over on his scrimmage yards prop is out best bet.

Others you might consider include the over on Baker Mayfield’s 219.5-yard passing prop at -110 (Falcons have third-worst pass D over the last month), the over on Bijan Robinson’s 38.5-yard receiving prop at -110 (Bucs allow more receiving yards to RBs than any other team at over 53 per game), and Irving’s anytime TD prop at +130 (he’s scored in three straight).

Best Bet:

• Bucky Irving Over 88.5 Scrimmage Yards (-110)