The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will hit the road to face the New York Jets in Week 17, pitting two teams that are polar opposites on the talent spectrum against one another. Following a shutout loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 15, the Buccaneers bounced back to defeat the Carolina Panthers handily by the score of 32-6 in Week 16.
As for their opponent, the Jets squeaked out a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, giving them their fourth win of the season. Even though New York isn’t competing for a playoff spot, they’d love to finish the season strong, placing a foundation for them to build on next season.
Can the Jets upset the Buccaneers at home and play spoiler in the NFC playoff race, or will Tampa Bay rout New York as the visiting team to improve to 12-4 on the season?
Continue reading below to see my Buccaneers vs. Jets predictions, along with my favorite bets.
Please note that all NFL gameday odds are current as of 1:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, December 30.
Buccaneers vs Jets Prediction
It was fairly easy to predict that the Buccaneers would run away with their contest against the Panthers in Week 16. Tampa Bay was coming off of a dismal loss to New Orleans, making it the first time that Tom Brady had been shut out in a home game in his entire career.
With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Leonard Fournette sidelined, the Buccaneers received contributions from other members of their offense. Ronald Jones and Ke’Shawn Vaughn did a remarkable job replacing the production of Fournette, while Antonio Brown made a welcomed return to the offense.
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Despite Fournette and Godwin being on injured reserve, there’s a chance that Evans makes his return in Week 17 versus the Jets. However, with it being a hamstring ailment for Evans, Tampa Bay could be extra cautious in bringing him back as hamstring injuries are easy to worsen.
Besides the offense getting back on track, the defense of the Buccaneers has been steadily improving in recent weeks. That doesn’t bode well for rookie Zach Wilson and an offense of the Jets that scores only 18.4 points per game (sixth-fewest in the NFL).
New York was able to show signs of life on offense versus Jacksonville in Week 16, as Wilson used his legs more than in previous weeks. In addition, Michael Carter rushed for 100 yards against the Jaguars, giving the Jets reason for optimism heading into the future.
While it was a positive sight for Jets fans in Week 16, they’ll be facing a much stiffer test in Week 17 versus the reigning Super Bowl champions. Similar to how I envisioned Tampa Bay blowing out Carolina this past week, I believe the Buccaneers will do the same to the Jets this upcoming Sunday.
Prediction: Buccaneers 38, Jets 13
Buccaneers vs Jets Best Bets
Skyler Carlin 2021 NFL Betting Record: 6-16-0
Best Bet: Buccaneers -13.5 (-107) at TwinSpires
Wager: 1 Unit
Heading into Sunday’s contest, the Buccaneers are two-touchdown favorites over the Jets, and understandably so. Tampa Bay is the far superior team, and while New York has shown flashes at times this season, they haven’t been able to string together two wins in a row yet.
Two of the wins for the Jets this season came against the Tennessee Titans and the Cincinnati Bengals, so there’s always a chance for an upset. That being said, I don’t envision this contest being remotely close as the Buccaneers will want to take care of business to keep their hopes of earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC alive.
Outside of their games against the Saints, the Buccaneers have looked the part of being a team that could repeat as champions this season. Even with Tampa Bay being shorthanded, they’ll have enough firepower on both sides of the ball to steamroll New York on the road.
The Buccaneers are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games, and they are 4-1 against the spread this season when favored by 10+ points. On the flip side, the Jets are 5-11 against the spread in their last 16 games and are 2-3 against the spread when they are double-digit underdogs.
Look for the Bucs to blowout the Jets in our NFL pick of the day.
Best Bet: Over 45.5 Total Points (-113) at TwinSpires
Wager: 1 Unit
This past week, I thought that the Buccaneers and the Panthers would be able to get us to over 43.5 points. Unfortunately, I was wrong, as Tampa Bay did their part by scoring 32 points, while Carolina mustered only six points of offense.
Even after falling short last week, I’m taking the over again in this game, mostly because I believe the defense of the Buccaneers could get on the board this week. Despite Wilson not turning the ball over in Week 16 versus the Jaguars, he has still thrown 11 interceptions, which is tied for the 12th most in the league.
Meanwhile, the defense of the Buccaneers has been opportunistic this season, forcing 26 turnovers thus far (tied for sixth-most in the NFL). There’s a good chance we see Wilson make at least one costly mistake, which would lead to more possessions for Brady and the offense of the Buccaneers.
The over has been achieved in four of the last six games that Tampa Bay has faced an opponent from the AFC East. And as for New York, they’ve hit the over in nine of their last 12 games, as they could score some garbage-time points to help us reach the total of 46 points.
Thank you for reading our Buccaneers vs. Jets Predictions! For more NFL betting tips, check out our NFL Week 17 Best Bets and NFL Week 17 Parlay Picks.
