Week 16 NFL picks for Christmas Day ‘SNF’

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Our NFL betting author brings you his finest Buccaneers vs. Cardinals predictions and picks for his or her NFL Week 16 primetime showdown, which is dwell Sunday at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.

This sport isn’t the Christmas current we hoped we’d be getting. The underperforming Buccaneers head to the desert to face the unraveling Cardinals on “Sunday Night time Soccer.”

Cardinals vs. Buccaneers predictions and evaluation

After final week’s 34-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bucs (6-8) lead the division nobody needs to win, the NFC South, by a single sport over all three different groups. Tom Brady helped the Bucs construct a 17-0 lead earlier than the protection collapsed, unable to cease Joe Burrow and the dynamic Bengals passing sport. Tampa is now 1-3 since its bye week and the South might be determined by the 2 looming division video games towards Carolina and Atlanta.

Few groups have it worse than the Cardinals (4-10), who will give Hint McSorley his first NFL begin on Sunday after one other quarterback went down. With Kyler Murray already carried out for the season with an ACL tear, the Cardinals misplaced Colt McCoy to a concussion throughout final week’s 24-15 loss to the Denver Broncos. Arizona is reeling, with a single win in its final seven video games.

Buccaneers -7.5

In restricted motion towards the Broncos, McSorley managed to toss throw interceptions on simply 7-of-15 passing.

The Penn State product had entered only some video games with the Baltimore Ravens earlier than coming to Arizona. Whereas it ought to assist to have offensive playmakers like DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown, nothing has come simple for the Cardinals this season even when Murray was wholesome.

The Buccaneers are smarting after a blown result in Cincinnati and a second straight ugly loss, and we determine they’ll be able to take out their frustration on a lesser opponent. The Bucs haven’t all the time crushed the groups they had been “speculated to” beat this season, however Brady and co. received’t fret by Arizona’s protection, which simply let Brett Rypien full 80.8 p.c of his throws.

Brady, even amid his worst season, is extra reliable than McSorley. Typically it’s as simple as that.

Decide: Buccaneers to win (-7.5) at -110 with Caesars Sportsbook

Buccaneers to attain over 26 factors +104

Caesars lets you tinker with sure props to your liking, notably with the choice factors slider.

Whereas betting on the Buccaneers to attain over 23.0 factors returns solely a -160 line, transferring that O/U slider to 26.0 makes the “over” quantity extra engaging at +104.

The Cardinals personal the worst scoring protection within the league, permitting 26.6 factors per sport. A Broncos group headed by Rypien and Latavius Murray managed to attain 24 on them final week, and opponents have scored no less than 27 factors on Arizona 5 instances in its previous eight outings.

Whereas the Buccaneers are 4-10-0 in O/U this season, Cardinals video games have hit the over eight instances, owing extra to Arizona’s porous protection than the factors a wholesome Murray was in a position to put up.

Decide: Buccaneers to attain over 26.0 factors @ +104 with Caesars Sportsbook

Betting on the NFL?

Cardinals commit a turnover on their first drive +625

Who is aware of what Kliff Kingsbury’s early-game script for McSorley’s first begin will entail? It will be sensible to run the ball and intention for some constructive performs, however the Cardinals ran it simply 22 instances towards New England two weeks in the past — the sport Murray was injured and McCoy entered — and 20 instances final week.

If the Cardinals proceed to depend on the passing sport, it opens up a larger chance for an early interception, particularly towards a Buccaneers protection that was once fearsome. Tampa Bay has generated simply 13 takeaways this season, among the many fewest within the NFL, nevertheless it did handle to choose off Burrow and land seven QB hits on him final week.

The likeliest end result of Arizona’s opening drive is a punt, which is why that’s acquired far and away the shortest odds at -265. The Cardinals haven’t proven they’re able to scoring a landing on the primary drive of video games this yr, so a turnover figures to be essentially the most thrilling choice. And it occurred simply three weeks in the past when James Conner fumbled on the Cardinals’ first possession towards the Chargers.

Decide: Cardinals to commit a turnover on first drive @ +625

Cardinals vs. Buccaneers odds

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Right at time of publishing and topic to alter.