Buccaneers vs. Vikings prediction, odds, spread, injuries, trends for NFL Week 1
The Vikings finished 2022 13-4 won the NFC North and the Buccaneers won the NFC South at 8-9. Both suffered first-round playoff exits.
By Josh Yourish
Last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings both made the NFC Playoffs before first round exits, but it might be a lot harder to get back there in 2023. The Vikings went 13-4 last year, but their actions in the offseason, cutting Dalvin Cook and trading Za’Darius Smith, say that even they don’t believe they can have that type of season again.
The Buccaneers might drop even further from their 8-9 record last season without Tom Brady. In Week 1 the Bucs will visit the Vikings and they come in as underdogs with Baker Mayfield at quarterback. I’ll give you my pick for this one, but be sure to check out BetSided’s NFL betting analyst Iain McMillian’s Week 1 best bets HERE.
If you want to bet with me or Iain you can do it in the FanDuel Sportsbook and take advantage of their great promo. Simply click the link below to sign up, deposit $5, and bet on this Week 1 matchup, then you’ll receive $200 in bonus bets win or lose, plus $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket to watch football all season long.
Now, let’s get into the odds.
Buccaneers vs. Vikings odds, spread and total
Vikings vs. Buccaneers betting trends
- Vikings went 7-10-1 ATS in 2022
- The OVER went 12-6 in Minnesota’s games in 2022
- Buccaneers went 4-13-1 ATS in 2022
- The UNDER went 12-6 in Tampa Bay’s games in 2022
Buccaneers vs. Vikings injury reports
Buccaneers injury report
- Mike Evans WR: Questionable (groin)
- Calijah Kancey DT: Questionable (calf)
- Antoine Winfield Jr. S: Questionable (undisclosed)
- Ryan Jenson C: IR (knee)
Vikings injury report
- TJ Hockenson TE: Questionable (lower back)
- Jalen Nailor WR: Questionable (leg)
Buccaneers vs. Vikings How to Watch
- Date: Sunday, September 10
- Game Time: 1:00 PM EST
- Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Buccaneers Record: 0-0
- Vikings Record: 0-0
Buccaneers vs. Vikings key player to watch
Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield: Baker Mayfield is now on his third team since the Cleveland Browns and he was able to beat out Kyle Trask as Tom Brady’s successor. If it wasn’t for his improbable performances on the Rams last season he may be out of football altogether, but now he has a Week 1 starting job. He finished last season with 2,163 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Vikings
Justin Jefferson: The Vikings didn’t do much to upgrade their defense which was terrible last season, in fact it may have gotten worse. So, the offense will need to score a lot of points and with Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen both gone, even more falls on the shoulders of the best wide receiver in the NFL. Jefferson went for 1,809 receiving yards on 128 catches with nine total touchdowns.
Buccaneers vs. Vikings Prediction and Pick
Mike Evans may not be playing this week for the Buccaneers, he’s currently questionable and is in a bit of a contract dispute with the team. Though even if he does miss, Baker Mayfield will have some weapons around him on this offense. This offense could be a bit better than most expect because Brady was kind of a limiting factor last year. Brady refused to get hit and got rid of the ball so early, Mayfield certainly isn’t an upgrade, but he’ll at least stand in and give his receivers a chance to get open.
The Bucs have Evans, and Chris Godwin as receivers and rookie out of Nebraska, Trey Palmer looked good in preseason. I expect this offense to be functional and against Minnesota’s defense that could produce a great result.
Last year, Minnesota’s defense was putrid. They were 31st in the league in passing yards allowed, giving up 266.9 yards a week. They added Byron Murphy to help remedy the situation, but they also lost Patrick Peterson, so that’s a wash. I don’t think this secondary will be better and without Za’Darius Smith, this pass-rush will be worse.
The Vikings offense has weapons of their own with Jefferson and new rookie, Jordan Addison at receiver. TJ Hockenson was very good at tight end last year after coming over from Detroit in a trade. Hockenson caught 60 balls for 519 yards and three touchdowns over 10 games with Minnesota.
I love the Vikings passing game and I hate their pass defense. In the modern NFL that’s a recipe for a lot of points, so I’ll take the Week 1 over.
Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change