Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs

Las Vegas Raiders Prediction

Las Vegas Raiders Preview

The Las Vegas Raiders may quietly be building a contender this season. They’re 3-2, and are a game and a half behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the competitive AFC West. That being said, they may hold the two most impressive wins all season: a road win against the divisional leading Chiefs, and a Monday Night Football win over the New Orleans Saints. While they may not contend for the division title this season, this team has clearly proved they can play with the best of the best.

Quarterback Derek Carr may be having his finest season to date. He’s completing 73.1% of his passes for 1,442 yards, and 11 touchdowns to only one interception. He’s taking care of the ball, making plays downfield, and showing he can be the leader this team needs. He’s doing this without a bonafide threat down the field. Among his receivers, Hunter Renfrow leads the group with 241 yards, and tight end Darren Waller leads the team with 295 yards. He’s making the most of an unimpressive group of skill players.

Running back Josh Jacobs has continued to impress after a phenomenal rookie season. The former Alabama back has rushed for 377 yards and five touchdowns, adding over 100 yards receiving in the process. He looks to be among the games best running backs for the near future. Against the Chiefs in their 40-32 victory, Jacobs rushed for only 77 yards, but had the final two touchdowns of the game, while effectively icing it down the stretch.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the most impressive performance of Week 6. Coming into the game with a record of 3-2 and the undefeated Green Bay Packers coming into town, they could have easily fallen back to .500 with a multitude of questions coming from the press. Instead, they made a statement.

After falling behind 10-0 to Green Bay, the Buccaneers scored 38 straight points to finish a dominating 38-10 performance. It was a truly impressive, and almost unexpected performance by this group, who looks to be coming into their own almost halfway through the season. The defense made life difficult for Aaron Rodgers, holding him in check and forcing him into two key interceptions early on that completely swung the momentum. The first of the interceptions was taken to the house to tie the game at 10. 

Once Tampa Bay took the lead, they relied on running back Ronald Jones to ice the game. The third-year back from USC had his third straight 100+ yard game, finishing with 113 yards and two touchdowns. This continues a streak of games where Jones has looked like a superstar for this team, and with the weapons Tom Brady has on the outside, a consistent running game can be what this team needs to be almost unbeatable the rest of the way. Jones will look to continue his plus play against the Raiders on Sunday Night.

Full Game Prediction

Both of these teams are coming off impressive wins, and the Raiders had their bye week to rest up and get healthy. While the game is being played in Las Vegas, the visiting Buccaneers come into this game as 3.5 point favorites. Much of this is due to the dominating fashion that Tampa Bay beat the Packers, but it also goes to show how impressive this team could be. The Buccaneers had that performance with 58 combined yards from their two star receivers, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. If those two get going, watch out.