Washington Commanders @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - January 12, 2025

Ah, game day! There’s nothing quite like the energy that radiates through Raymond James Stadium when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take the field. As a die-hard fan, I can practically feel the anticipation in my bones, especially with our boys squaring off against the Washington Commanders this Sunday.

Now, let’s get into it! The oddsmakers have set us as -2.5-point favorites, and you know what? I’m feeling confident. With an average of 29.5 points per game and an offense that boasts a solid 71.7% completion percentage—wowza—we’ve got firepower to burn! Our rushing attack is equally impressive at about 149 yards per game with over 8 yards per carry on average. If there was ever a time for our offensive line to shine and create holes for those backs to run through, it’s now.

But hold up; let’s not overlook the Commanders either! They’ve been riding high on a five-game winning streak and averaging around 28.5 points per game themselves—these guys can score too! However, their recent win against Dallas came without covering a spread when they were favored by -7 points. That tells me they might struggle under pressure when facing off against us in our own house.

I think we’ll see both teams put up some serious yardage this Sunday. The Bucs will be looking to light up that scoreboard again after putting down 27 points against New Orleans last week—even if we failed to cover that hefty spread of -15 (yikes!). You can bet your bottom dollar that Tom Brady’s presence will make it difficult for any defense trying to stop him.

Defensively speaking, both teams have had their ups and downs throughout the season. While Washington has shown grit lately, they also struggled on the road before this winning streak began—their record stands at just 1-3-1 ATS away from home in their last five games.

As much as I love my Bucs and believe we’ll walk away victorious today—and you better believe I’ll be wearing my lucky jersey—I think Washington will keep things competitive enough to cover that spread since they’re riding high on confidence right now.

Now here’s where it gets interesting: while both offenses are potent enough to score some points, I’m feeling like this matchup could lean towards being lower scoring than expected due to defensive adjustments made by both sides—so don’t be surprised if we see something closer to an UNDER outcome instead of hitting that total of 50.5.

So here are my predictions: Bucs win (as always!), Commanders cover the spread but not without putting up a fight, and look for those combined scores to fall short of expectations today.

Get ready for some exciting football action folks—it’s going down at Raymond James Stadium! Go Bucs!