Week 11 NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs Moneyline Bet
by Chris Altruda —November 16, 2016 in All Sports, NFL
Where: Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City, Missouri
When: Sunday, November 20, 2016. 1 p.m. EST
Money Line: Over/Under 45 at the Bovada Sportsbook
In search of their sixth straight victory, the Kansas City Chiefs look to keep pace atop the AFC on Sunday when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Chiefs, along with the New England Patriots and AFC West rival Oakland Raiders, are one of three teams in the conference with a 7-2 record. Kansas City has won five straight contests after rallying to defeat Carolina 20-17 on the road last Sunday. Eric Berry’s 42-yard interception return for a touchdown highlighted a 17-point fourth-quarter as Carlo Santos booted a 37-yard field goal as time expired for the winning points.
Kansas City’s opportune defense has been at the heart of this winning streak, forcing 12 turnovers in those five victories. The Chiefs also rank second in the NFL with 72 points off 22 miscues by their opponents. They’ve also returned three interceptions for TDs.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is coming off its best performance of the season in routing Chicago 36-10 at home last Sunday. Jameis Winston threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns and the Buccaneers defense forced four turnovers – including an interception return for a score by ex-Bear Chris Conte. Like Kansas City, Tampa Bay has been an exceptional ball-hawking team of late with 13 turnovers forced in the last five games.
Can the Chiefs Fluster Winston?
The second-year quarterback from Florida State has made some tremendous strides of progress and is already just three TD passes shy of matching his rookie total of 22 last year. While Winston has thrown 10 interceptions this season, only two have come in the last five games while he’s thrown for 1,241 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Buccaneers have averaged 27.8 points in that span.
Kansas City leads the NFL with 13 interceptions — including five by fellow second-year pro Marcus Peters, who already has 13 picks in just 25 career games – 22 forced turnovers and a plus-14 turnover margin. Peters will line up opposite Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans, and as that matchup goes, so could this game.
Tampa’s Defense Must Deliver Against a Big Opponent
Despite all the turnovers Tampa Bay has forced of late, its defense is still highly suspect. The Buccaneers have given up 27 or more points on five occasions, and their track record against the AFC West – loss to Oakland and Denver in which they allowed 716 passing yards and 57 points – are causes for concern.
While Alex Smith is not an elite quarterback by any stretch of the imagination, he is an astute game manager who is risk-averse and makes few mistakes. Thus, the onus is going to be on the Buccaneers defense to make stops and keep the Chiefs off the scoreboard.
Why I’m Taking the OVER for the Buccaneers vs. Chiefs Game
Though the Chiefs are never a team that wows anyone, especially on offense, they continue to do enough to get the job done. And with the recent contributions of the defense in terms of directly putting points on the board, there should be enough for Kansas City to possibly reach 30 points. If the Buccaneers are patient offensively, and Winston continues his strong play of late, there will be opportunities to score as well.
This is a game where you may have to sweat out getting to 45 with a late touchdown by a losing team, but the recommendation to players is to take the OVER at 45 points with the Bovada Sportsbook.