NFL Spread Betting Upset Alert – Tampa Bay Hosts New Orleans

If this was last year, this NFL Spread Betting contest between New Orleans and Tampa Bay would be a lock for the Saints.

I mean you’ve got the defending Super Bowl champs taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who haven’t been relevant for years now, until this season that is.

The Bucs are quietly 3-1 on the year, and despite not getting much respect around the league yet, have a chance to beat a New Orleans team that has been far from the offensive juggernaut that blew through the league last year.

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The betting public still isn’t giving them much of a chance as they’re four point underdogs at home, and 77% of the population is taking the Saints, but I wouldn’t be so quick to follow the heard.

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL)

Sunday, October 17th – 1PM ET

TV: FOX

Even after beating the Bengals last week, 24-21, the Bucs aren’t getting any respect. I mean, people are talking about them because they are 3-1, but they just don’t seem to be getting the recognition that they deserve.

If they were in a bigger market they’d be all the rage, but maybe they like flying under the radar. The Saints won’t be taking them lightly as they appeared to do that last week against the Arizona Cardinals, and it cost them as rookie QB Max Hall got his first NFL win in the 30-20 victory over New Orleans, a real shocker as far as NFL Spread Betting  is concerned.

NFL Spread Betting Line:

New Orleans – PS -4 (-110) ML -200

Tampa Bay – PS +4 (-110) ML +165

Total - 43

And interestingly enough, it wasn’t Max Hall that made the big mistakes, it was Drew Brees. The usually rock solid pivot threw three costly interceptions on the day, the last grabbed by Rodgers-Cromartie who took it all the way back to the house.

That game wasn’t just an out-of-the-blue thing for the Saints either as they’ve turned the ball over nine times in the last three games. And talk to anyone around the league and a sure fire way to lose football games is to give the ball up, something the Saints have realized lately.

That’s not the trend you want to have heading into Tampa Bay against a good young secondary. Safety Cody Grimm had himself a ballgame last week as he picked Carson Palmer last week and took it back to the house while cornerback Aqib Talib and Sabby Piscitelli both had picks in that game as well.

And although I wouldn’t expect Brees to be as careless with the football this week, the lack of a running game in New Orleans put a lot of pressure on him to make plays and squeeze the ball into tight coverage.

If New Orleans had any kind of a running game that would be the recipe for success as that’s where the Bucs have had problems. Cedric Benson ran for 144 yards last week, but with Reggie Bush out and Pierre Thomas nursing a bummed ankle, the Saints aren’t exactly scaring anyone when they hand the ball off.

With the injuries in their backfield, the Saints have gone out and signed former Seahawk Julius Jones to come in and compete with Mike Bell and Chris Ivory. It’s not likely to make much of a difference as the Saints have never been a run first team, but I suppose it adds another wrinkle for the Bucs to think about.

Still, I don’t think it’s enough to get past this much improved Tampa Bay squad that won’t be able to fly under the radar too much longer after they get past the Saints.

NFL Spread Betting Pick: Tampa Bay +165