Buccaneers at Packers: Preview, prediction, odds and pick

The Green Bay Packers will play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, in a matchup of two NFC teams looking to stay alive in the NFC Playoff race.

Coming into the 2017 NFL season, you could look at the Week 13 matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers and think it would be a playoff preview. However, both teams are currently out of the NFC Playoff picture, and it is starting to get too late for them to make a run. Both the Packers and Buccaneers have had to deal with injuries to their starting quarterback, though one team is getting their signal-caller back on Sunday.

The Buccaneers will have Jameis Winston under center against the Packers in Week 13, as he will be making his first appearance since aggravating a shoulder injury in Week 9. The Buccaneers offense has sputtered with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, and they should get a nice boost in the arm with Winston returning. Running back Doug Martin was pulled from last weekend’s game with a concussion, and has still yet to clear concussion protocol as we head towards Friday.

For Green Bay, they will once again be without Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, though Brett Hundley looked a lot better last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hundley is never going to be the kind of player Rodgers is, but if he plays like he did against Pittsburgh on the road in primetime, this team can win games with him. Rodgers could come back in a couple of weeks, and with two winnable games ahead of them, the Packers could be 7-6, and make a run towards the playoffs.

Odds

Line: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1.5)

Over/Under: 44.5

The Buccaneers will actually be road favorites in this one, even though they are going to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers at home. The over/under is set at 44.5, and if Winston can get it going, and Hundley plays solid again, it could go over that number. This line will change a lot throughout the week, so head on over to OddsShark.com for any changes up until kickoff.

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Prediction

The Packers showed me a lot on Sunday night, putting up four touchdowns against the Steelers on the road. Running back Jamaal Williams looked great, and Hundley took some big shots down field. This Buccaneers team has no punch to it this season, and going on the road to Lambeau Field is not the ideal condition for Winston coming off a serious injury to his throwing shoulder.

Final Score: Packers 24, Buccaneers 21