NFL Week 15: Buccaneers vs. Falcons odds, preview, and pick

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) and Atlanta Falcons (4-9) will meet for the first time this season in a Sunday afternoon clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (1:00 p.m. ET, FOX). Which NFC South squad will prevail in this one? Here’s our wagering preview.

Buccaneers bound into Week 15 off bounce-back score

The Bucs went into their bye week off consecutive 27-24 defeats to the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively. They needed a win over a hot team in the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14, and they got it with relative ease, prevailing 26-14.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was held to just 173 passing yards in that tilt, which bodes well for Tampa against a pass-heavy Falcons attack with a hobbled Julio Jones.

Falcons are faltering down the stretch

After getting off to a hot start in the Raheem Morris era, Atlanta has now dropped three out of its last four games. Excluding an outlier 43-6 victory over a flagging Las Vegas Raiders team, the Falcons averaged 14 points per game in that span.

Quarterback Matt Ryan has struggled mightily over the last four weeks, completing a modest 55.1% of his passes for 6.2 yards per attempt. He’s tossed just four touchdowns in that span compared to six interceptions.

Brady should take Atlanta’s stoppers to task

Tampa’s running game was dealt a blow when Ronald Jones II was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week. Fortunately for the Bucs, Tom Brady leads one of the better passing attacks in the NFL, as Tampa is ranked 11th in yards per game through the air in 2020.

Brady faces one of the worst passing defenses in the league this Sunday, as the Falcons are ranked 30th in passing yards allowed per game this season. He should have little trouble finding Mike Evans and Chris Godwin downfield in this one.

Trends say back the Bucs

The Bucs have been road warriors of late, covering in six of their last eight games when favored away from home. They’re also 5-1 against the spread in their last six road games against teams with losing home records.

The Falcons have failed to cover in five of their last seven home games, and six of their last eight conference games. Atlanta is just 1-4 against the spread in its last five games against teams with winning records.

Score prediction: Buccaneers 31, Falcons 17

NFL Pick: Buccaneers -6

Wager on all NFL Week 15 action on BetAmerica!