Buccaneers vs. Cardinals: Preview, score prediction for Week 6

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Arizona Cardinals

Both the Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter Week 6 of the 2017 NFL season trying to gain their footing. Each team is coming off of a tough loss in Week 5, and both are looking to find some consistency.

Tampa Bay lost at home to the New England Patriots last Thursday Night due to three missed field goals by kicker Nick Folk. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were dominated in their 34-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.

These teams are both looking for their third win of the season as they attempt to get their seasons on track to make a possible playoff run.

Keys to Victory

After trading for Adrian Peterson, the Cardinals are clearly trying to fix their rushing attack in this game. Arizona enters Week 6 with the worst run game in the league, averaging only 51.8 yards per game. The Cardinals problems on the ground seem to be due to poor blocking just as much as it is about their lack of talent at the running back position. When they lost David Johnson in the first game of the season, it was apparent no player on the team could fill that role. Johnson is one of the most versatile players in the NFL.

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While Peterson could be an improvement over the other backs on the Cardinals roster, he is well past his prime. Peterson will not be able to fill Johnson’s role on offense fully or make up for poor blocking, so it is difficult to imagine that the running game improves in this game.

The Buccaneers need to cut down on mistakes. Tampa Bay had a serious chance to beat the defending Super Bowl champions last week if not for missed field goals and off-target throws by quarterback Jameis Winston. The team signed Pat Murray this week with the hope that this can solve the kicker problem they have been experiencing for the last few seasons. The Winston problem might be harder to overcome.

It’s quite possible Winston is already the best quarterback the Buccaneers have ever had and yet has shown a problem with decision making and accuracy since being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Winston is a gun-slinger and relies on his athleticism and big arm to make plays, but he needs to prove an ability to hit receivers short if that is what the opposing defense leaves open.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Tampa Bay -1.5
Moneyline: Tampa Bay -125, Arizona +105
Over/Under: 45.5

All betting odds provided by BookMaker via Sportsbook Review

Next: NFL 2017: Picks against the spread for Week 6

Prediction

The Buccaneers held the Patriots top-ranked passing offense to just 19 points last week despite missing some of their best players on defense. The Cardinals enter Week 6 with the second-best passing attack, but with players like Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander returning for the Bucs, the defense should be able to hold. Winston could throw a few picks in this game against one of the best secondaries in the NFL, but with Doug Martin back from suspension the offense should be balanced enough to still win this game.

Final Score: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 27, Arizona Cardinals: 23