Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions

Best NFL underdog picks and predictions for Week 2

Analyzing NFL Week 2 betting odds and lines, with expert predictions and picks of the 3 best underdogs to cash in on.

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The underdogs didn’t do so well in Week 1. Only 3 underdogs won their games outright (the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots), while 7 covered the spread. Can we find the underdog values this week?

Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook NFL odds, and tab the best NFL Week 2 underdog bets to cash in on among SportbookWire’s NFL expert picks and predictions.

Our 3 picks last week went 1-1-1. The Arizona Cardinals covered as 6.5-point underdogs in a 34-28 loss. The Indianapolis Colts covered as 3.5-point underdogs in a 29-27 setback, but did not cash our moneyline (ML) pick. The Denver Broncos lost 26-20, covering as 6.5-point underdogs on the closing line, but we bet them +6 Thursday, resulting in a push.

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NFL underdog predictions: Week 2

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NFL odds. Lines last updated Thursday at 12:10 p.m. ET. All games Sunday and ET unless noted.

BILLS (+115) at Dolphins – Thursday, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)

The Dolphins piled up 400 yards of offense and didn’t turn the ball over while holding the Jacksonville Jaguars to only 267 total yards in Week 1. Even then, it took a last-second field goal to win the game.

Bills QB Josh Allen had 2 TD passes and 2 rushing TDs and led a 14-point comeback against the Cardinals. Buffalo held Cardinals RB James Conner to 50 rushing yards, and Bills DE Greg Rousseau was AFC Defensive Player of the Week after 3 sacks in Week 1.

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa was sacked 3 times in the season opener. I like the Bills to win this outright.

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BUCCANEERS +7.5 (-110) at Lions – 1 p.m. (FOX)

QB Baker Mayfield had 4 TD passes against the Washington Commanders, and the Bucs scored 37 in Week 1. The Lions shut down the LA Rams’ run game and harassed Rams QB Matthew Stafford, but still only managed to beat LA in overtime. The Bucs only allowed 50 rushing yards to Washington’s RBs, so this should be a close game.

Tampa Bay’s offensive line is in a better place than the Rams’, which had 2 backups at tackle and lost its left tackle to injury in Week 1.

It isn’t a confident enough pick to say the Bucs win outright at +290 on the ML, but this should be within a TD.

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Seahawks at PATRIOTS +3.5 (-115) – 1 p.m. (FOX)

The Seahawks held the Broncos to only 231 yards of offense in Week 1.

But this game features teams that relied heavily on their run game and run defense in their openers. New England allowed 70 rushing yards while rushing for 170, and the Seahawks allowed 99 while going for 146.

Both starting QBs — Jacoby Brissett for the Pats and Geno Smith for Seattle — will be caretakers for the offense. With 2 methodical offenses and defenses that will limit the run, this should be a close game.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Studs & Duds for the Lions playoff win over the Bucs

The Detroit Lions Studs and Duds for their playoff victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to take them the NFC Championship game

The Detroit Lions secure another playoff triumph, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23. They are now set to face the San Francisco 49ers in the upcoming NFC Championship game.

The Lions persist in showcasing their resilience and prowess in the face of challenges, silencing skeptics who doubted their place in the playoffs. This game underscores their capability to compete at the highest level. While the offense took a while to find its rhythm, it executed crucial plays effectively when needed. The defense, although with some areas to improve, demonstrated its ability to thwart the formidable Bucs offense when it mattered most.

As they edge closer to glory, let’s highlight the Studs and Duds for the Lions in their playoff victory against the Bucs.

Lions postgame injury update: Bad news for 2 players

Lions postgame injury update: Bad news for 2 players after the win over the Buccaneers

The Detroit Lions advanced to the NFC Championship game next weekend with a 31-23 home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately, head coach Dan Campbell indicated after the game that two members of the Lions offense are unlikely to make the trip to San Francisco to play in that game.

Tight end Brock Wright, who made a critical catch and run in Sunday’s win, will be out with a broken forearm. Wright initially told Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News that he suffered the broken arm later in the game. Campbell confirmed the injury in his postgame press conference.

Campbell also didn’t have good news on starting left guard Jonah Jackson, who left the game in the first half with a knee injury. Jackson did not return.

“Doesn’t look really good for next week,” Campbell said of the injuries. “But we’ll see,” he added.

Kayode Awosika filled in for Jackson for the remainder of the game. He figures to be the replacement against the 49ers.

As for Wright and tight end, the Lions have Anthony Firkser behind rookie Sam LaPorta, who showed no ill effects from his Week 18 knee injury. Reserves James Mitchell and Shane Zylstra are on injured reserve. Expect the Lions to add a tight end to the mix during the week, as they don’t currently have any on the practice squad.

Lions beat Buccaneers to advance to the NFC Championship game

For the first time in the Super Bowl era, the Detroit Lions have won two playoff games in the same postseason. The Lions beat the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, inside a raucous Ford Field on Sunday.

It was an epic matchup worthy of the national television audience and the high stakes.

Detroit and Tampa Bay traded field goals in the first quarter. The game was tied at 10 at the half. Both teams added a touchdown in the third quarter, leaving the fourth quarter a battle for the right to head to San Francisco and play for the NFC Championship next Sunday.

The Lions struck quickly with an impressive drive. Jahmyr Gibbs capped it with a gorgeous 31-yard run to seize the lead with a seven-play, 75-yard drive. Detroit’s defense forced a quick three-and-out for the second time in three drives, giving the ball back to the Lions offense with 12 minutes to play.

What came next was a championship drive, plain and simple. The Lions went 89 yards in 10 plays for a methodical, ruthlessly efficient scoring drive. Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown in the back right corner of the end zone on first-and-goal from the 9-yard line, rewarding the All-Pro wideout for a gritty 3rd-and-15 conversion earlier on the drive. The Lions took the lead, 31-17.

Because nothing comes easy, the Buccaneers answered with an impressive drive of their own. Baker Mayfield hit Mike Evans for a score to cap a 9-play, 75-yard drive. However, the 2-pt. conversion failed when Mayfield’s fade to Evans hit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu in the back.

The Lions next drive stalled at the two-minute warning, giving the Buccaneers one last shot. But Derrick Barnes nicely undercut a crossing route and picked off Mayfield’s pass to seal the win. Goff knelt in victory formation and all of the Lions fan base blew the roof off whatever building they might have been in.

Lions, Buccaneers announce uniform choices for divisional round

The Lions and Buccaneers announced their uniforms and Dan Campbell’s squad is going with their lucky charm choice with blueberry.

The Detroit Lions are preparing for their second home playoff game of the year on Saturday. They are dotting their eyes, crossing their t’s, and players are getting healthy. Everything is settling in except one thing, the uniforms.

The Lions have had some fun uniforms this year but none have been as lucky as their blueberries. As a subtle nod to the Michigan blueberry farming, which is one of the biggest in the world, it has become a lucky charm of sorts.

Going back to the regular season, the Lions had been 5-0 while wearing them and had averaged 33 points per game. They improved that record to 6-0 when they wore them this past Sunday when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL’s Wildcard Round. They now hope it will move to 7-0 as they announced the team will be wearing them on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Lions injury report: Kalif Raymond still out, Cam Sutton no longer listed

Raymond was the only Lions player who was listed as not practicing in Wednesday’s walkthrough

The first Detroit Lions practice participation report for the team’s Divisional Round matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a couple of interesting points. The Lions released an estimated participation from Wednesday’s walkthrough.

The only player listed as not participating is wide receiver Kalif Raymond. The speedy receiver and return specialist remains sidelined with a knee injury suffered in the Week 18 win over the Vikings. Frank Ragnow would have sat it out as a veteran rest day, too.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone was listed as limited with shoulder and rib injuries. Anzalone briefly left the win over the Rams with a shoulder issue, which he appeared to suffer on the game’s opening drive.

Some other players who have ongoing injuries were noted as full participants. That includes TE Sam LaPorta, who played without limits in Sunday night’s win. Cornerback Cam Sutton was not one of those, however. Sutton has been a fixture on the injury reports with a toe issue, but he is no longer deemed injured enough to earn a mention on the injury report.

Dan Campbell and Todd Bowles agree: The Bucs are a lot better now than in the Week 6 meeting

Detroit head coach Dan Campbell and Tamp Bay head coach Todd Bowles agree: The Bucs are a lot better now than in the Week 6 meeting

The Detroit Lions went into Tampa and beat the Buccaneers, 20-6, back in Week 6. Now the two teams, winners of their respective NFC divisions, will rematch in Ford Field in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday.

Both Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles know not to expect a replay of the first matchup. The Buccaneers are playing some very sharp football lately, coming from third place and 4-6 after Week 11 to win the NFC South.

“We were where we were at that time of the year,” Bowles said via Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com. “I don’t wish we would’ve done anything different or we wouldn’t have learned from it. They’re a very good team. They’re coached very well. Very fast, very physical. An electric crowd is going to be up there. Wish we hadn’t done anything different, but we’ve got to learn from it.”

Bowles continued,

“We’re a different team now. We’re mentally tougher. I think we’ve gotten stronger from it, and we learned some things. We’re still piecing it together, but we’re happy where we’re at.”

Bowles can look at Monday night for validation. The Eagles had beaten the Buccaneers, 25-11, on Monday Night Football in Week 3 in Tampa Bay. The Bucs dominated the rematch in the wild card round, however. Bowles’ team won 32-9 and it wasn’t that close of a contest, either.

His Lions counterpart agrees. Campbell noted on Wednesday,

“They’re another one of these hottest teams going getting into the playoffs. So, they’re doing things right. They had to find a way to get over the hump and clean a few things up, but they never got panicked and never went in the tank.”

Or, as Campbell succinctly surmised,

“This is a better team than when we faced them. They’re playing better football, but we’re better too.”

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Lions vs. Buccaneers broadcast team announced

Lions vs. Buccaneers broadcast team announced and it will have a local Detroit flavor

The Detroit Lions will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in Ford Field in the NFC Divisional Round matchup. On Wednesday, the NFL revealed how fans who aren’t lucky enough to attend the game can watch it.

The Lions-Buccaneers game will be broadcast on NBC, beginning at 3 p.m. The network’s top broadcast team of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will call the game, with Melissa Stark as the sideline reporter.

Tirico is a local Michigander who spent time with the team over training camp, so he knows the Lions well.

The full broadcast crew schedule for the weekend is available via Touchdown Wire.

Lions pivotal play of Week 16: Matthew Stafford’s early exit stifles offense

The Detroit Lions were embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week and made worse with a key injury in this weeks pivotal play

Well, if you missed preseason football, it was on full display this afternoon. In a game where five total quarterbacks took a snap, the Lions ineptitude was on full display, getting absolutely demolished, 47-7, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who punched their ticket into the playoffs today.

There isn’t much you can hang your hat on for the Lions today. With a Bucs offense littered with offensive weapons and a coach who likes to go for it, the Lions had zero answers and were embarrassed at home.

Tom Brady finished the day with 348 yards, four touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating. The worst part about that is that was all done in the first half. Blaine Gabbert finished off the rest of the game with 143 passing yards and two touchdowns of his own. In total, the Bucs finished with 588 total yards on offense and made the Lions defense they own personal practice dummy.

For a pivotal part of the game, there really wasn’t much to go with due to the fact this was over basically as soon as it started. With the sheer amount of personnel missing on the Lions roster and coaching staff, they needed all hands on the deck to limit the bleeding.

On the Lions’ first offensive drive, after a completed pass to Danny Amendola it looked like Stafford tweaked his ankle to a point he could not put any weight on it. He hobbled into the locker room, came back with a heavy-duty tape job and it became clear, there wasn’t any way he was going to make his return to this contest.

As soon as Stafford went out, the Lions’ offense shifted to basic formations and looked more like a high school team than a professional one. With only 187 yards of total offense, they could not keep up with how fast the Bucs were rolling. Only converting 1-10 third downs, the Lions were giving the Bucs more drives to continue the onslaught and the defense was clearly worn out and done.

It is hard to say if the end result would have been different if Stafford stayed in the game, but you would have to think they would’ve put some points on the board and held a little dignity this week.

The Lions will wrap up the season at home next week against division foe, the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off their own loss against the New Orleans Saints — giving up 52 points.

With nothing to play for from either team, it’ll be interesting to see how situations shape up for the season finale — but it’s probably time for the Lions to keep Stafford on the bench and let him heal from his multitude of injuries.

Experts sail with the Bucs over the Lions in Week 16 matchup

Experts are not giving the Detroit Lions much chance when they play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in Week 16

The Detroit Lions (5-9) head back to their stomping grounds quite short-handed to face off against a dangerous Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) group. The Bucs are looking to end their 13-year playoff drought by clinching a playoff spot with a win in this game.

It was almost this time last year these two teams faced off, resulting in a 38-17 Bucs victory, during the time the Lions were missing Matthew Stafford and relying on David Blough to lead the charge. Fortunately, the Lions will have Stafford this year even though he is banged up. The significant change for the Bucs this year: they are lead by Tom Brady instead of Jamies Winston.

This past week has not been kind to the Lions in the slightest. After getting embarrassed by the Titans in a 46-25 loss, the coaching staff has taken a massive hit. After going rogue on last week’s fake punt, former special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs was let go.

Then, due to a positive COVID-19 incident, the Lions will be without interim head coach Darrell Bevell and wide receivers coach Robert Prince will be tasked with running the team this week. On top of that, most of the defensive coaches, including defensive coordinator Cory Undlin will be absent from the contest leaving the defensive play-calling to head coach assistant/research & analysis, Evan Rothstein.

With many of these coaches thrust into these roles for the first time and facing a high-octane Bucs team led by Bruce Arians and Brady, the light isn’t shining too brightly for the Lions this week.

According to NFL Pickwatch, 95-percent of experts are siding with the Bucs, who are coming off back-to-back wins, beating the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14 and a comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15.

With so many of the Lions play-callers out for this game, the Lions petitioned the NFL to flex the game back to Sunday, but they were ultimately denied leaving a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.

Now it probably wouldn’t have matter in the long run, considering the Lions looked out-matched, to begin with, but rolling with the inexperienced coaching staff, this game might be worse than we may have anticipated and might be over before it starts.