The 6-3 NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Orchard Park this Sunday to take on the 6-3 Buffalo Bills. The Buccaneers sit above the surprising 5-5 Carolina Panthers as they try to maintain control of the division, while the Buffalo Bills are in strange territory during the Josh Allen era, seeing themselves in 2nd place in the AFC East this late into the season. Plenty of football still to be played, but both teams need a win this week for their hopes of being 2025 division champions in their respective divisions.
Stats to Know
Diving deep into the offenses, the Buffalo Bills are 2nd in the league in total yards per game (384.4) and are 6th in points per game (27.6). The visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on the other hand, are 17th in yards per game (328.3), and are 11th in points per game (24.4)—a 56-yard difference and about a 3-point advantage in Buffalo’s favor.
Now, how do their defenses stack up in this AFC-NFC matchup? Buffalo’s defense ranks 14th in yards allowed per game (317.8). The Bills rank 11th with 21.9 points allowed per game. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, is 20th in the league through 10 weeks in yards allowed (334.0) and 14th in points allowed per game (22.9). Buffalo’s defense, on average, allows about 16 yards less and allows only 1 fewer point per game.
Now, let’s take these numbers and average them out. The Bills’ offense should have around 359 total yards and about 26 points, while the Bucs’ offense should have around 323 yards and about 23 points on Sunday. This gives the Bills about a 3-point advantage overall, with the line from Vegas being -5.5, favoring Buffalo. The Buccaneers are 5-4 covering the spread, while the Bills are 4-5 covering. Betting the Bills at -5.5 is risky this week, seeing that they’ve been fairly inconsistent versus opponents, and the Bucs are a quality playoff-caliber team.
Who’s Hot & Who’s Cold?
As always, let’s take a look at some players on both teams that are hot and some that are cold heading into the second matchup between these AFC-NFC teams.
- Maxwell Hairston remains on fire as he’s gotten an interception in back-to-back weeks. Hairston has provided a much-needed spark for the Bills’ defense.
- Tre’Davious White is a fan favorite, but anyone watching can see he’s simply a shell of his former self. White has an extensive injury history while being 30 years old. Buffalo needs Benford back asap, or the Buccaneers’ elite WR core will be running circles around the aging veteran.
- Emeka Egbuka is having an electrifying rookie season, coming off another 100+ yard game where he found the endzone. Egbuka looks to continue his dominant season and shred the Bills’ secondary.
- Rachaad White was phenomenal the first couple of weeks when Bucky Irving went down, but he’s had 3 games in a row of less than 40 rushing yards. White needs a bounce-back game against an abysmal Bills run defense if he hopes to remain RB2 on the Bucs’ depth chart.
Game Predictions
I expect the Buffalo Bills to bounce back this week, but it will be tough. The Buccaneers aren’t an easy matchup; however, Bucky Irving remains out, which might be enough for the Bills to take home the win this Sunday. I have the Bills winning 34-31 and advancing to 7-3. Joey Bosa forces a fumble, and Sean Tucker gets a 20+ yard TD.
A Look Ahead
After this week, Buffalo has a short week as they head to Houston for a matchup against a beat-up Texans defense. For all fans, we are hosting a giveaway for the game, where you can win 2 free tickets! Click the link below for more info!
Check out all of my previous articles alongside all regular season articles available here: 2025 Season Series, and make sure to use code DL10 for 10% off all memberships! Also, tune in on YouTube to view our most recent video, where we discuss our reactions to the Thursday night matchup between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots!
