Washington Commanders vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction, 9/8/2024 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 1

Game: Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Date: Sunday, September 8, 2024

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL

TV: Fox

Odds/Point Spread: Buccaneers (-3.0)

Total/Over-Under: 42.5

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8 last year) are hosting the Washington Commanders (4-13 last season) at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. Tampa Bay opens this game as 3.0-point favorites from oddsmakers. The over/under is 42.5.

The Washington Commanders ended the year holding a 4-13 record. The last time they took the field, the Commanders stepped onto the field against the Cowboys and took a loss by a score of 38-10. Brian Robinson Jr. was the best rusher for the Commanders with 9 totes for 25 yards (2.8 yards per carry). Terry McLaurin left with an average of 9.3 yards per reception by totaling 56 yds on 6 receptions. Sam Howell went 19/27 with 153 yards passing and 1 TD. He had a quarterback rating of 65.8 and ended the contest with 2 interceptions. When it came to stopping the run, the Commanders gave up 131 yards on 29 tries, which averages out to 4.5 yds per rush surrendered. Washington surrendered 34 pass completions on 40 attempts for 309 yards, and a completion percentage of 85.0%. On the day, they ran 49 plays for 180 yards. The Washington Commanders ran the ball 17 times and accounted for 50 yards, which had them averaging 2.9 yds per carry.

When talking about getting in the endzone, the Washington Commanders had an average of 19.4 points per outing. As a team they averaged 93.6 yards in the run game, which ranked them 27th in the league. The Commanders earned 5,317 total yards over the course of last season. Washington accumulated 190 1st downs as an offense, and they were flagged for 87 infractions for 701 yds. They gave the ball to the opposition 32 times (21 picks and 11 fumbles). Washington compiled 24 passing touchdowns and 14 touchdowns via the ground.

The Commanders sat in 32nd in the NFL in relation to team defense, conceding 30.5 points per game. They allowed an average of 4.5 yards per rush on the ground and 126.8 yards on the ground per game for the previous season. Overall, they gave up 2,155 rushing yards through 17 games. When it comes to passing yardage, the Commanders conceded 4,457 yards which had them sitting in 32nd in the league. In their 17 games played last season, they surrendered 262.2 yards per contest via the pass and allowed a completion percentage of 66.2%. They allowed 388.9 yards per outing which ranked them 32nd in the league.

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The Buccaneers ended the season holding a 9-8 record. In their last contest, the Buccaneers walked away with a loss by a score of 31-23 when they played the Lions. Baker Mayfield (3 TDs) ended the contest with 349 yards on 26/41 through the air while his QB rating was 94.5. He had 2 picks and his average yards per pass attempt was 8.5 yards. Mike Evans was the top contributor in the passing game for the Buccaneers, hauling in 8 throws for 147 yds (18.4 yards per reception). Rachaad White ran the football 9 times for 55 yds, finishing the game with 6.1 yards per carry for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers finished the contest with a total of 408 yards while they ran 60 plays (6.8 yds per play). Tampa Bay rushed for 5.9 yards per attempt, finishing with 89 yards on 15 attempts. Tampa Bay gave up 26 attempts on the ground for 114 yds (4.4 yards per rush). The Buccaneers secondary gave up a completion percentage of 69.8%, relinquishing 277 yards on 30 for 43 through the air.

When looking at this team's ability to score points, the Buccaneers earned a ranking of 20th in the NFL maintaining an average of 20.5 points per outing. Last year, the Buccaneers earned 3,812 passing yards as well as averaging 224.2 throwing yards per outing, which ranked 17th in the NFL. They maintained an average of 88.8 run yards per game and rushed for 1,509 yards for the season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers averaged 313.0 yards per outing which was good for 23rd in football. The Tampa Bay offense had 751 yards of penalties on 100 infractions, which had them sitting 13th in football in terms of making mistakes. They threw 10 picks while losing 8 fumbles and they earned 188 1st downs.

They allowed 23 touchdowns via the pass and 248.9 yards per contest, ranking them 29th in football. Tampa Bay surrendered a total of 1,620 yards rushing (95.3 yards/game) and 11 touchdowns by ground last season. In total, they surrendered 325 total points. Their defense compiled 26 takeaways (13 fumbles recovered and 13 interceptions) during the previous year. The Buccaneers defense participated in 1,081 plays, which ranked them 18th in the NFL. The Buccaneers surrendered 19.1 points per game, which put them in 7th in the NFL.

Who will win tonight's Commanders/Buccaneers NFL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Buccaneers -3.0

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