Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images. Pictured: Chris Godwin
Buccaneers vs. Washington Odds
| (5) Buccaneers Odds | -7.5 |
| (4) Washington Odds | +7.5 |
| Total | 46.5 |
| Time | 8:15 p.m. ET |
| Day | Saturday |
| Odds as of Sunday night and via PointsBet, where you can bet $20 on any NFL spread or moneyline to win $125 if the team you pick scores. | |
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Buccaneers vs. Washington Playoff Projections
The experts who power our NFL PRO Projections use their consensus team ratings to project a spread and total.
- Spread: Bucs -5.7
Buccaneers vs. Washington Player Ratings
Sean Koerner, our Director of Predictive Analytics, uses his player projections to calculate the most valuable players on each team based on their worth to the spread.
| Most Valuable Players | Worth |
|---|---|
| QB Tom Brady | 5.41 |
| WR Chris Godwin | 0.66 |
| WR Mike Evans | 0.59 |
| WR Antonio Brown | 0.54 |
| LB Lavonte David | 0.48 |
| Most Valuable Players | Worth |
|---|---|
| QB Alex Smith | 1.56 |
| WR Terry McLaurin | 0.7 |
| DE Chase Young | 0.51 |
| DT Jonathan Allen | 0.42 |
| CB Ronald Darby | 0.34 |
How No. 5 Buccaneers Reached Wild Card Weekend
In case you missed it, Tom Brady is on the Bucs.
He brought Rob Gronkowski and, eventually, Antonio Brown with him. And with Brady comes postseason play.
The experiment with Brady has mostly worked, although there have been enough iffy moments for Monday morning talk shows to propose a loser-leaves-town cage match between Brady and head coach Bruce Arians.
The highs have mostly come against bad teams. The lows are mostly against good teams.
Brady lit up the Lions in a 47-7 win in Week 16 during which he was needed for just a half, and he had 390 yards against the Falcons the week before. Tampa Bay spotted the Chiefs a 17-0 lead before Brady’s offense got going in Week 12.
Then there’s the 216 yards in a loss to the Rams in Week 11. Two losses to the Saints saw Brady throw for 209 and 239 yards. Tampa Bay’s Week 6 win against the Packers was mostly won by a stellar defensive performance, and the week before that saw Brady throw for 253 yards in a Thursday night loss to the Bears.
Maybe it’s as simple as the quarterback plays well in wins and poorly in losses, but Tampa Bay has one win against a team with a winning record this year, and that should be at least somewhat alarming.
Tampa Bay throws the ball more often than all but two teams in the NFL, so a playoff run rests on Brady’s right arm. If Tampa’s defense can stay stingy — it ranks seventh in points allowed — the 43-year-old’s job gets a little easier.
How No. 4 Washington Reached Wild Card Weekend
It’s been a tale of two teams for Washington: The Football Team with Alex Smith at quarterback, and the Football Team with anyone else at quarterback.
Smith took over for an injured Kyle Allen in the middle of the Week 9 game against New York. Since then, Washington is 4-1 in games started by Smith but 2-8 when Haskins or Allen start.
Haskins is gone, officially released after a 20-13 loss to the Panthers in Week 16.
In his first year as head coach, Ron Rivera’s defense is fourth in opponent yards per game. Washington hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game since Week 10.