Tampa Bay Buccaneers To Increase Patriots’ Woes

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots kick off week five of the 2017 NFL season.

The Buccaneers improved their record to 2-1 as Nick Folk’s late field goal guided them to a victory over the New York Giants.

Dirk Koetter’s men got off to a strong start to the contest, but were pegged back by the Giants. Quarterback Jameis Winston threw three touchdowns over the course of the contest and led his team downfield into the range of Folk to secure the win.

The 23-year-old has one of the names considered to win the MVP award for the campaign. He has enjoyed a steady start to the season, but the performance against the Giants suggested that he could round into peak form.

Winston now has the chance to boost his side’s win total and his own statistics against the worst defense in the NFL.

The Patriots have made a stunning start to the season. The defending Super Bowl champions were hammered in their opening game of the term by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bill Belichick’s side got back on track against the New Orleans Saints. However, they then needed a miracle comeback from Tom Brady to overcome the Houston Texans at home.

The Patriots suffered their second defeat at Gillette Stadium of the season, losing to the Panthers. Their defense continued their atrocious start to the term, allowing Cam Newton and his offense simple access to the endzone.

New England now face the challenge of stopping Winston, Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson on the road.

We’ll now break down both sides and look ahead to the contest using the latest betting odds.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are a game behind the rest of the NFL after their week one clash with the Miami Dolphins was postponed. Koetter’s men have been up and down in their three contests, displaying three different styles of performances.

Tampa Bay hammered the Chicago Bears in their opening match of the season. However, they in turn suffered a heavy defeat on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. The club found rhythm against the Giants, but then found themselves in a battle for the rest of the contest.

Rhett Ellison put the visitors ahead at Raymond James Stadium late in the contest. Winston and his offense displayed great character to drive down the field to put Folk within 34 yards. The kicker delivered for his team to notch their second win of the campaign.

For the Buccaneers to challenge for a playoff place they need Winston to rise to the occasion. The 23-year-old was decent against the Bears, but woeful against the Vikings, throwing three interceptions.

His performance drew the ire of his top wideout Evans, who took out his frustration on objects on the sideline. Winston bounced back with a three-touchdown outing against the Giants, including a strike to Evans. He needs to find that level of consistency throughout the campaign.

Defensively the Buccaneers were able to respond to their horrific outing against the Vikings. They allowed backup quarterback Case Keenum to have a career game in their defeat in Minnesota.

However, with Brent Grimes restored to the line-up after his injury return they staged an improvement. Odell Beckham Jr was limited to 90 yards on seven catches, but the whole unit have a massive challenge on their hands against Tom Brady and company.

New England Patriots

The Patriots’ defence of their Super Bowl crown has began poorly, despite the outstanding form of Brady. The quarterback has enjoyed a dominant start to the campaign even at the age of 40. No quarterback in the NFL has more than his 1,399 passing yards in the opening four matches, while he has thrown 10 touchdowns without throwing an interception.

There were concerns that their offense would be out of sync due to Julian Edelman’s season-ending injury. However, Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks have been impressive through the opening quarter of the term.

Brady has taken a beating though through the first four matches. Some of the blame has been on the offensive line, but also due to the amount of times he has thrown in the opening stages of the campaign. The 40-year-old has a strict training and diet regime, but the amount of hits he has taken will concern Belichick.

Those worries are magnified due to the nature of the displays of New England’s defense. The unit are on course to be one of the worst in the history of the NFL. They are currently allowing 60 more yards than the 31st-ranked team, highlighting their issues.

The Patriots gave Stephon Gilmore a huge contract in the off-season to lure him to the club. However, he has been simply awful in the first four weeks, with a number of communication issues haunting New England’s secondary.

Cam Newton and the Panthers had struggled for form before meeting the Patriots. They put 33 points on the board with ease at Gillette Stadium. Belichick will know if he cannot amend the issues he faces put tremendous strain on his quarterback for the rest of the term.

Betting Options

Before the season this contest was one of the few predicted to give the Patriots a tough time on their path towards retaining the Super Bowl.

With issues on defense – Belichick and his team will have a tough time preventing the Buccaneers inflicting a third defeat of the term on the reigning champions.

Brady has been great, but not even he and his offense can cover up the problems on the defensive side of the ball.

Winston has a plethora of weapons to expose the secondary as Evans, Jackson, Cameron Brate, OJ Howard and the returning Doug Martin will be eager to thrive.

Tampa Bay do not have a strong defense themselves, but their pass-rush could generate the one or two stops needed to secure the win.

As a result, back the Buccaneers at odds of 3.05Bet €100 to win €30541/20Bet £100 to win £305+205Bet $100 to win $3052.05Bet HK$100 to win HK$3052.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp305-0.4878Bet RM100 to win RM305  with Bovada sportsbook to secure the win. Definitely take Koetter’s men on the spread of +5 with SkyBet at 2.10Bet €100 to win €21011/10Bet £100 to win £210+110Bet $100 to win $2101.10Bet HK$100 to win HK$2101.10Bet Rp100 to win Rp210-0.9091Bet RM100 to win RM210  due to the Patriots issues keeping the score down.

The contest should be a high-scoring affair as Brady is in great form, while Winston will be able to expose the flaws in New England’s defense. Take the over 63 points at odds of 3.25Bet €100 to win €3259/4Bet £100 to win £325+225Bet $100 to win $3252.25Bet HK$100 to win HK$3252.25Bet Rp100 to win Rp325-0.4444Bet RM100 to win RM325  with Betway.

Expect the Buccaneers to a get a fair chunk of those points, taking the over on 27 at odds of 2.45Bet €100 to win €24529/20Bet £100 to win £245+145Bet $100 to win $2451.45Bet HK$100 to win HK$2451.45Bet Rp100 to win Rp245-0.6897Bet RM100 to win RM245  with Ladbrokes.

Tips Summary

Tampa Bay Buccaneers To Beat New England Patriots
Thursday 5^th October 2017 20:30 ET (Friday 6^th October 2017 01:30 BST)
Odds: 3.05Bet €100 to win €30541/20Bet £100 to win £305+205Bet $100 to win $3052.05Bet HK$100 to win HK$3052.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp305-0.4878Bet RM100 to win RM305

Taking +5 Spread Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Thursday 5^th October 2017 20:30 ET (Friday 6^th October 2017 01:30 BST)
Odds: 2.10Bet €100 to win €21011/10Bet £100 to win £210+110Bet $100 to win $2101.10Bet HK$100 to win HK$2101.10Bet Rp100 to win Rp210-0.9091Bet RM100 to win RM210

Over 63 Points To Be Scored In The Contest
Thursday 5^th October 2017 20:30 ET (Friday 6^th October 2017 01:30 BST)
Odds: 3.25Bet €100 to win €3259/4Bet £100 to win £325+225Bet $100 to win $3252.25Bet HK$100 to win HK$3252.25Bet Rp100 to win Rp325-0.4444Bet RM100 to win RM325

Tampa Bay Buccaneers To Score Over 27 Points
Thursday 5^th October 2017 20:30 ET (Friday 6^th October 2017 01:30 BST)
Odds: 2.45Bet €100 to win €24529/20Bet £100 to win £245+145Bet $100 to win $2451.45Bet HK$100 to win HK$2451.45Bet Rp100 to win Rp245-0.6897Bet RM100 to win RM245