This is the time of the year that NFL fans wait for. Training camp is a few days old, and now we’re getting into the preseason games. In the first week of exhibition games, we’ll see the defending Super Bowl champions in action, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to Raymond James Stadium. It’s time to take a look at both teams and how they arrive into this matchup so you can bet against their NFL Preseason odds.
NFL Betting Preview for Bengals vs Buccaneers
The Champs are Here!
In the first week of preseason games, the starters see little to no action. The starters may see one series, but after that, they’re just there to watch the action. Speaking of starters, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in an unusual situation. Tampa Bay is returning all 22 starters from last year’s title team. That very rarely happens these days in the National Football League.
With Tampa Bay returning all 22 starters, these preseason games will be huge for the non-starters. They’ll be playing for a limited number of spots, and they’ll need every rep that they get to mean something. We should see players going very hard for Tampa Bay, as they know that there aren’t many openings to be had.
Will the Bengals be Better in 2021?
As for the Cincinnati Bengals, they’re trying to build themselves into a playoff team. After taking Joe Burrow with the first pick in last year’s NFL draft and immediately plugging him into the starting lineup, Burrow tore his ACL early in the season and was out for the remainder of the 2020 regular season. Burrow is back and looks like he’s ready to play.
Cincinnati still has a lot of holes to fill. Their offensive line is a weak spot, so they’re hoping that Burrow has regained his mobility. Joe Mixon will be their main ball carrier, but he has missed numerous games due to injury in his short career. The Bengals will be looking for some backups for Mixon, as well as some offensive line help during their preseason games.
Zac Taylor’s squad finished 4-11-1 last season. They had some positive things happen, but they still need a lot of help going forward. Their defense lost some key pieces in free agency, and the thrifty Cincinnati front office is looking to replace them with unproven rookies and low-priced free agent pickups. There will be a lot of competition for defensive spots in the preseason. The defensive players know that if they play well, there could be a spot on the team waiting for them.
It’s usually hard to get much out of the first preseason game. We don’t see many proven players playing significant time, and much of the playing time will go to players that probably won’t make it out of training camp. The oddsmakers have set Tampa Bay as a six-point favorite in this one. They also think that this will be a low-scoring affair, as the over/under has been set at 34.5. Even though this one may not be pretty, fans are just happy that their beloved football is back, and seeing preseason games means that the regular season is that much closer.
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