Kick back in front of the TV on Boxing Day this Saturday with three NFL betting options on tap, beginning with a matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.
The Bucs come into this game with a 9-5 record and are installed as 8.5-point road favorites against a Lions team once again well outside the playoff picture.
We break down the NFL odds with our best free Buccaneers vs. Lions picks and predictions for Saturday, December 26, with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions Betting Preview
Weather
This game will be played indoors at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, so weather will not impact play. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions for other games with our NFL weather info.
Key Injuries
Buccaneers: Carlton Davis CB (Doubtful), Donovan Smith T (Probable), Ronald Jones II (Out), Jason Pierre-Paul LB (Questionable), Antoine Winfield Jr. S (Questionable), Carlton Davis CB (Doubtful).
Lions: Mike Ford CB (Questionable), Halapoulivaati Vaitai T (Questionable), Tyrell Crosby OL (Out), Frank Ragnow OL (Questionable), Jeff Okudah CB (Out), Da'Shawn Hand DL (Out), Kenny Golladay WR (Out), Desmond Trufant CB (Out), Trey Flowers DE (Out), Jamie Collins Sr. LB (Questionable), Jayron Kearse S (Questionable), Matt Prater K (Questionable), Matthew Stafford QB (Questionable).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Over is 11-2 in the Lions' last 13 home games. Find more NFL betting trends for Buccaneers vs. Lions.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
Another year, another disappointing season for the Detroit Lions, who are coming off a 21-point loss to the Titans and have lost four of their last five games. While Matthew Stafford continues to give Detroit solid quarterback play, he hasn't had much help around him. And reinforcements aren't coming as Detroit will continue to be without its best receiver in Kenny Golladay and top blocker in Frank Ragnow.
Not only have the Lions been taking more Ls than Trump's legal team, but they're also getting crushed, losing by at least 14 points in five of their last six defeats.
While the Bucs may not be living up to the insanely high expectations of Tom Brady fanboys, they've still been very good in sporting a 9-5 record—with five of those wins coming by 14 or more points.
Tampa Bay has been strong on both sides of the ball, ranking fifth in the league in both offensive and defensive DVOA, per Football Outsiders. They've also played well on the road, posting an average scoring margin of plus-8.6 points per game.
With the Lions just 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games as an underdog – and once again wistfully looking to the future – take the chalk with the Bucs.
PREDICTION: Tampa Bay -8.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
Over trends are abound for both teams, with the Lions 11-2 to the Over in their last 13 home games and the Bucs 5-0 O/U in their previous five contests on FieldTurf.
Former All-Pro Wide receiver Antonio Brown had a breakthrough game against Atlanta on Sunday, giving Brady another dangerous weapon in addition to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski.
Tampa Bay is seventh in the league in scoring at 28.6 points per game and while they've been limited by the best stop-units in the league, like the Saints and the Rams, they've absolutely shredded bad defenses. And boy, is this Lions defense bad, surrendering a league-high 31.1 ppg, with that number ticking up to 33.7 ppg at home.
Although we think Tampa Bay's defense will be able to beat up Stafford and contain the Lions attack, we still see this game going Over the total.
PREDICTION: Over 54 (-110)
First Half Bet
The Buccaneers dug themselves a big hole in Week 15 as they trailed 17-0 at the half. Thankfully they have the comeback king at QB and were playing against the Falcons, who love to squander leads.
The truth is the Bucs have gotten off to poor starts all year, posting an average first-half scoring margin of minus-1.4 ppg. It's been the second half when they play up to their talent with a second-half margin of plus-7.1 ppg.
The Lions are far from a good team but are usually able to keep things competitive in the early going before getting clobbered in the second half. Expect that trend to continue and back Detroit on the first-half spread.
PREDICTION: Detroit first half +6 (-110)
Buccaneers vs Lions Betting Card
- Tampa Bay -8.5 (-110)
- Over 54 (-110)
- First Half Detroit +6 (-110)
Did you know that if you parlayed this week’s NFL Buccaneers vs. Lions picks, you could win $59.58 on a $10 bet?
Use our NFL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where Can I Bet on the NFL?
You can bet on NFL odds at every online and casino sportsbooks, including NFL moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals and a ton of NFL prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on NFL odds in your area.
