Chiefs vs Buccaneers NFL Football Spread/Handicapping
The Kansas City Chiefs were supposed to bounce back this season. To date their only win was against a New Orleans squad that was in a funk until just recently.
Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)
Sunday October 14
Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
1:00PM
Moneyline: Tampa Bay -210, Kansas City +175 at Bookmaker
Spread: Tampa Bay -4.5
O/U: 40
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Kansas City
The Chiefs hit the road to face a team also searching for answers but will do so with their backup unproven QB making his first start since 2009. QB Matt Cassel is just one of 10 rostered players that are questionable this week. KC has a tough time competing when its healthy as it is and they are really short-handed.
At least Kansas City has one of the better running games in the league to fall back on. Bruising back Peyton Hillis won’t suit up but with shifty Jamaal Charles leading the way the Chiefs are second in the league rushing the football.
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Last week they rushed for more than 200 yards against the Ravens in the close loss and if they can do so again Brady Quinn just might lead the team to victory. Tampa is likely to have a similar approach so it might not be pretty to look at.
The Chiefs have covered in two of their last three contests. They are on the road meeting a seldom faced team the week before their bye, which they need desperately. Put it all together and it seems like just the kind of game a team might just phone in. Throw in a backup QB and it really is an unlikable situation.
Tampa Bay
After winning their opener Tampa dropped three straight games making last week’s bye week a perfect time to regroup for new coach Greg Schiano. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Schiano came in with a disciplinarian style that was supposed to toughen up this group. He wanted a team that would be physical, running downhill and stopping the run. So far the latter has come to be (4th) but you could argue it is because teams have figured out they don’t need to run (32nd against the pass).
Tampa has one of the most anemic offenses in the league. QB Josh Freeman was reinforced with new weapons in the offseason with free agent receiver Vincent Jackson and rookie running back Doug Martin. Despite leading the club respectively neither has really lived up to expectations, especially Jackson, who has dropped way too many passes. This week will be a true test of that run defense I mentioned earlier.
Tampa opened with three straight covers as it seems oddmakers weren’t buying what Schiano was selling. I was able to grab a couple of those victories and feel good about the Bucs coming off the bye week as they should be focused and able to handle the one-dimensional attack of the Chiefs. It won’t be a thing of beauty but they can beat KC by a TD.
Spread Pick: Tampa -3.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Tampa 27 – Kansas City 17
