Buccaneers Chiefs Betting – Bucs’ Depth Pays Off In Kansas City
Sports betting players will get to see a lot of young talent on Friday night, when Tampa Bay heads to Kansas City to kick off their preseason slate, but when the starters leave the field, the Buccaneers are going to come away with the win due to their advantage in depth.
What: NFL Betting
- When: Friday, August 12th, 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
- Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Why Bet On Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs will be out to see what they have outside of their first-string offense, which looks good with Josh Freeman at the helm, Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn out wide, Kellen Winslow at the tight end and LaGarrette Blount in the backfield. The depth of all positions will be tested on the offense, and it’ll be interesting to see who impresses at the running-back position because the Bucs will want to keep Blount rested. They drafted Allen Bradford out of USC to compete with Kregg Lumpin and Earnest Graham, and the deeper that the lineup is, the better. Defensively, all eyes will be on the line where the Bucs have the likes of Gerald McCoy, Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers to create a pass rush, while Aqib Talib should be able to play despite his legal problems.
Tampa Bay will get a look at their safeties as Cody Grimm is behind schedule in returning from an ankle problem, so rookie Ahmad Black may be pressed into action sooner than expected. The backup-quarterback situation is a bit crowded with Josh Johnson, Rudy Carpenter and Jonathan Crompton, but Johnson probably has the inside track as he was Freeman’s backup last year. Rookie tight end Luke Stocker is out of this game due to an ailing hip, so the depth at that position will be tested as well.
Why Bet On Kansas Chiefs
Like Tampa Bay, the Chiefs will go into this season with high expectations after a solid 2010, but they won’t be able to sneak up on teams anymore. Everyone knows the Chiefs can run the ball with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, but they looked to add to the passing attack in the offseason by signing free agent Steve Breaston, drafting receiver Jonathan Baldwin, which takes pressure off the duo of Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe. Another rookie, Ricky Stanzi, will get a long look as Cassel’s backup, while Tyler Palko will also be in the mix under center. The Chiefs’ defense basically came back intact, and they’re going to be very good this year, especially in the secondary with the foursome of Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr at the corners, and Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis at the safeties.
But the Chiefs really didn’t do much to improve their defense throughout the offseason, instead choosing to rest their laurels on a young team, and that is going to be the key to their NFL betting odds this year. Kansas City isn’t a deep team defensively, and we’ll get an idea of their lack of depth when they suit up against the Bucs, who have the edge in that department.
How It Will Play Out
The Bucs are favored by three points on the road according to NFL betting odds, and they’re 3-2 SU and ATS in their last five regular-season meetings against the Chiefs with three games going over the posted total (including both games in Kansas City). This should be a fun game to watch as both teams have plenty of young talent that is going to be in the league for a long time. The matchups to watch when the first-string units are on the field is Kansas City’s ground game against Tampa Bay’s front four, and the Bucs’ passing game against the Chiefs’ secondary.
However, the Bucs may have a slight edge in depth on both sides of the ball, particularly on defense, and that is going to be the difference in this preseason opener. It would be a lot more fun if the starters could play the entire game, and the edge would probably go to the Chiefs at home, but in this game, take Tampa Bay in your online betting picks.
Buccaneers Chiefs Betting Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
