The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their second Super Bowl in 2020, while Tom Brady proved once again that he is indeed the greatest quarterback in NFL history.
His seven Super Bowl rings are one more than what the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots hold. The fact that Brady will return in 2021 at 44 years of age says even more about his performance and his work ethic.
There was a legitimate question as to whether the Bucs could reach the Super Bowl even with Brady, but the team kept plowing for an 11-5 record. The Bucs exceeded sportsbook expectations throughout the season, as this NFL betting report will show.
We couldn’t have done this without you, Krewe ♥️ pic.twitter.com/8Q42FN4vjX
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) February 16, 2021
Spread Performance
The Buccaneers went 9-7 ATS this season, as the team’s 30.8 points per game were the third-most in the NFL. The team also had a punishing defense that gave up 22.2 points per game.
Tom Brady certainly made people pay more attention to the Buccaneers this season, and people flocked to the sportsbooks to bet on them.
The team performed when they needed to the most, as they defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 45-20 with a spread of -3.5. They also cleared out the Carolina Panthers 46-23 while holding a spread of -6.
Some games went out of hand on both sides of the ball. The Bucs had a 38-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers during the regular season, but they also had a regular season loss in the New Orleans Saints by a 38-3 score.
Bettors weren’t always lucky when betting with the Buccaneers. The club defeated the Atlanta Falcons by four points late in the season, but they failed to meet the -6 spread.
The Bucs were even more effective during the playoffs, as the team went 3-1 ATS. The team’s 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl blew out all expectations. The team still had to work a little harder to defeat the Washington Football Team in the wild card round, as they won that game 31-23.
How the Over/Unders Worked
The team had some surprisingly low over/unders this season, which is startling given how proficient Brady is as a quarterback. The Buccaneers went 9-7 on those totals, with many of the unders coming from the Bucs having a dominant defense.
The Buccaneers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 26-14 in a game with a total of 52. The club also had a 47-7 win over the Detroit Lions that fell under the 55 total.
The Buccaneers got most of their offense through the passing game. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II were effective throughout the season, but injuries kept the team under a hundred rushing yards per game. This point might have hurt the Bucs’ chances at going over the total a few more times.
What to Watch in 2021
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the favorites to win the NFC, and they also have the second-best odds to win Super Bowl LVI. The team has a +950 line to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
The Bucs will play against The AFC East and NFC East next season, so there’s a good chance the Buccaneers will be clear favorites for much of the coming season. Their home game with the Buffalo Bills might have a closer spread than people expect, but the fact it won’t be up north in Orchard Park helps.
There are still a few questions surrounding who will return for the Buccaneers next season. While Tom Brady will be back once again, Antonio Brown, Ron Gronkowski, Shaquil Barrett, and Ndamukong Suh will all be free agents.
The team will need to resign whoever they can, although the promise of another Super Bowl will be hard for many of these players to ignore.
Even though the NFL season is over, we will still be keeping our eye on what’s going on! Make sure you check all the latest information on our NFL hub page.
*Odds correct at time of writing.
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