The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 1-3 in their previous four games and need to turn things around against a horrid Arizona Cardinals team. Arizona is well-off the pace and already eliminated from the playoffs in another embarrassing end to a season for this franchise.
Let’s check the latest NFL odds, stats, injury reports and NFL lines for Buccaneers vs Cardinals. We’ve plenty of Vegas NFL odds and NFL week 16 picks for you to consider.
Buccaneers vs Cardinals Betting Lines
Buccaneers Desperate for Win
We have to rip the bandage off quickly and get the Bucs’ terrible against-the-spread (ATS) record out of the way.
Entering Week 16, Tampa Bay has by far the worst return on investment when betting against the spread at -52.56%, with a loss of -8.20 units. The second-worst team, the Los Angeles Rams, has an ROI ATS of -38.76 for comparison.
The Cardinals are terrible, and even they have an ROI of just -18.51%.
The crazy part is that the Bucs started the season 2-0 ATS. That means that they have just one ATS win in the last 12 weeks. That lone cover was in Germany to the Seattle Seahawks as 2.5-point underdogs.
And despite all of that, the Bucs are -9 favorites on the road against Arizona. At least the bookmakers are making it easy to avoid the Bucs on Sunday.
Cardinals Ready for a Rebuild
It’s not often that such a talented team fails so miserably to succeed in the NFL. But, thanks to Kliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals are falling apart again as the season winds down.
It’s been painful to watch the 4-10 Cardinals stumble to a 1-7 record in the last eight weeks. But until they get rid of Kingsbury and overhaul the defense, this team won’t be going anywhere near the playoffs in 2023.
Arizona’s defense has the unwanted distinction of allowing the most points per game in the NFL at 26.6. Bad news when your offense is averaging less than 21 PPG.
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the Cardinals are 1-3 ATS in the last four weeks and 2-5 ATS in their previous seven. The only thing that is surprising here is that Arizona managed to beat the LA Rams to avoid an 0-8 losing streak.
Things go from bad to worse when we take into account a busy injury report for Arizona. The most notable names are Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy. The No. 1 and No. 2 string quarterbacks are both on IR. That leaves Trace McSorley.
For as bad as he was playing, the Cards are McSorley missing Murray under center.
Buccaneers vs Cardinals Game Injuries
Buccaneers vs Cardinals Head-to-Head
Tampa Bay and Arizona haven’t played since 2019 when the Buccaneers eked out a 30-27 win. But Arizona is on a 4-0 ATS winning streak dating back to 2013. The Over/Under is 2-2 in that time.
Buccaneers vs Cardinals Game Information
- Game: Buccaneers vs Cardinals
- Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 25, 8:20 p.m. ET
- Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
- How to watch Buccaneers vs Cardinals?: NBC
Buccaneers vs Cardinals Live stream: NFL Game Pass
Buccaneers vs Cardinals Game Weather Conditions
61° & open-roof stadium
Buccaneers vs Cardinals Picks & Prediction
Predicted Score: Buccaneers 23, Cardinals 20
- Worth Betting on the Moneyline?
No. Neither team holds much value on the moneyline unless you expect the rudderless Cardinals to beat Tampa Bay.
- Worth Betting ATS?
Yes. For as terrible as they have been and continue to be, the spread here is too much for a team with one ATS win in months to cover. Fade the Bucs and pray Arizona can keep this game within single digits. .
- Worth Betting on the Totals?
Yes. Arizona has no defense to speak of, and Tom Brady should put in some work. Likewise, the Bucs’ defense stinks, and even with a third-string QB, we expect some fireworks from the Cardinals.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
