NFL Betting – The Buccaneers Head to Washington on Sunday

Say what you want about confidence and brashness of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but they have been absolute NFL Betting gold against teams with losing records. In Week 14, they will get their chance to stretch their record to 8-0 against losing teams when they take on the dysfunctional Washington Redskins.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-5) vs. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (5-7)

Sunday, December 12, 1:00 PM ET.

FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Broadcast: FOX

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NFL Betting Lines:

Tampa Bay: -1 ½ (-110)

Washington: +1 ½ (-110)

Moneyline: Off

Total: 41 points

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are NFL betting losers of two straight games and now sit two games back of the Atlanta Falcons in their division and one game out of an NFC Wild Card position. However, injuries on both sides of the ball threaten to derail any plans that Coach Raheem Morris had for his team going forward.

The Buccaneers get a little bit of a break this week when they match up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The 17th ranked passing game (220.42 yards per game) will be matched up against a 29th ranked Washington pass defense and the 11th ranked running game (119.17 yards per game) draws Washington’s 28th ranked run defense – the one that gave up 200 yards and four touchdowns to the Giants last week.

The Bucs lost their starting center Jeff Faine this week, so life for Josh Freeman and LaGarrette Blount could be a tad more difficult – thank goodness for the Redskins defense!

The Tampa defense has been good but the loss of super-safety Aqib Talib will really hurt. They are currently 7th against the pass (205.83 yards per game) and 26th versus the run (128.50 yards per game).

The Washington Redskins have had an Football Betting Nightmare of a year. Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb were brought in to save this franchise and yet, they appear to have taken a step back! They have a brutal defense and their offense is only where it is statistically because of garbage-time yardage.

Donovan McNabb and the passing game are ranked a surprising 9th in the NHL with 243.83 yards per game. Impressive until you dig just a little deeper. McNabb has mustered no higher than a 75.2 QB rating in any game since Week 3 and has thrown at least one interception in all of those games. He has 15 picks on the year and his fair share of fumbles as well.

The running game has been an issue. It is currently 27th in the NFL (89.33 yards per game). There is good news on that front – Ryan Torain is scheduled back after missing the better part of two months with a hamstring injury.

Washington’s defense is BRUTAL! They rank 29th versus the pass and 28th against the run. Tampa Bay’s OK offense will likely be made to look elite against this poor unit!

NFL Betting Outlook:

The Tampa Buccaneers have lost two straight games and are 6-2 SU in their last eight games on the road. The Bucs are just 1-4 SU in their last five trips to Washington

The Washington Redskins are 1-4 SU and ATS in their last five games and are 6-13-1 ATS in their last 20 games at home. The Skins are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games versus Tampa Bay and are 4-1 SU in their last five at home against the Bucs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers still have a playoff spot in their sights and will bring some extra motivation to the Nation`s Capital. The Redskins appear to simply be playing out the string. There has been a lot of talk that the suspension of Albert Haynesworth will galvanize this team but I don`t buy it. Washington is a bad club and the Buccaneers are a good one.

NFL Betting Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1 ½