Who: Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL

When: 8:15pm ET

Spread: Bucs -1.5

Total: 46 o/u

For the first time in several weeks, we get a marquee matchup on Thursday night football worthy of primetime billing. The Tampa Bay Bucs (3-4) host the Baltimore Ravens (4-3) in a battle between two teams that have struggled in recent weeks

For the Bucs, there were high expectations following a busy offseason. First, QB Tom Brady retired – then unretired. Then, head coach Bruce Arians stepped aside to join the front office, allowing defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to take over. Additionally, the Bucs were already dealing with the aftermath of the Antonio Brown debacle and a dramatic loss to the Rams in the NFC Divisional playoffs. After defeating the Cowboys on opening weekend, the Bucs’ season has turned for the worse. 

A week after losing as a double-digit favorite to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bucs sunk to a new low, dropping a 21-3 contest to the Panthers, who indicated they were tanking after trading away their best player two days prior. Much scrutiny has deservedly fallen upon the shoulder of Brady, whose marital issues have been on the front page of gossip magazines and columns for weeks. While Brady has refused to acknowledge the repercussions of his divorce have affected his play, it is clear that the Bucs’ offense is struggling mightily.

On the Ravens’ end, many injuries have plagued this team since Week 1, notably on the defensive end. As of this publication, DE Calais Campbell has already been ruled out, while CB Marcus Peters, CB Marlon Humphrey, LB Josh Bynes, OT Ronnie Stanley, CB Brandon Stephens, RB Gus Edwards, WR Rashod Bateman, and TE Mark Andrews are all listed as questionable. Most concerning is Andrews, who has yet to practice all week. If he can’t go, that will take away Lamar Jackson’s No. 1 weapon and go-to guy.

The Bucs are also dealing with an array of injuries, particularly in the secondary, where S Antoine Winfield Jr. and CB Sean Murphy-Bunting have been ruled out. Even with a depleted secondary, the Bucs will look to limit Jackson’s running ability and force him to throw. Jackson is most lethal on the ground, and forcing him to throw under pressure has worked well for opposing defenses the past few weeks. Jackson threw a costly endzone INT to the Bills three weeks back, which enabled Buffalo to drive to kick the game-winning field goal and tossed another late-game INT against the Giants, giving NY the green light for the go-ahead TD. 

With two banged-up, underperforming teams, I will stick with the Bucs on this one to cover and win outright. I still have confidence in Brady and his top receiving corps of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. I expect Brady to exploit an injured Ravens’ secondary and for the Bucs’ defense to apply plenty of pressure to Jackson and force him to throw.

When looking at the total, I will continue my trend and take the Under. Through seven Thursday night games this season, the Under has cashed in on five of seven occasions. I’m sticking with the notion that both teams are playing on a short week and won’t have the same energy as they would with a whole week’s rest.

Pick: Bucs -1.5

Under 46