While most sportsbooks have only posted odds for Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season and a few select games throughout the year, the Westgate has posted odds for the complete schedule of all 32 teams. You might think the defending Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be favored in every game, but that is not the case.
According to the odds posted at the Westgate, the defending Super Bowl champions are only favored in 15 of 17 games.
To be fair, the team did not look great right out of the gate in 2020. Nor did it look great at the midway point of the season. But the Bucs were clicking on all cylinders when the season ended and throughout the playoffs. With the entire starting units back on both sides of the ball, it is not hard to picture them getting 2021 off to a great start.
While they are projected to open solidly in Weeks 1 and 2 with wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons, the Westgate seems to think the Bucs are in for a dogfight when they visit the Rams in Los Angeles in Week 3 (Rams are favored by one).
Assuming the Rams defense is as dominant as ever to start the season, and Matthew Stafford fits into the Rams offense well, it is not impossible to imagine the Rams recording a win. The defense is certainly good enough to play with Brady and the Bucs offense.
And with Stafford at the helm, the Rams offense may very well be up to the challenge the Bucs defense provides.
But is the possibility enough to warrant the Rams opening as the favorite? Right now, there is no reason to think the Buccaneers will struggle at any point in 2021. But the Rams are working in a new quarterback, a new defensive coordinator, and they did lose a few guys off the defense in free agency.
The other game in question is their Week 12 contest against the Indianapolis Colts. But they are not underdogs; the game opened as a pick’em.
So, either the oddsmakers have no faith in Brady and the Buccaneers in that one, or they think Frank Reich will turn Carson Wentz into an MVP candidate again in less than a season. If Wentz can return to form, the Colts can be competitive in the game. But for now, that is a big “if.”
Opening lines are subject to change, of course, and most likely will be by the time Week 1 rolls around. It is hard to imagine both of these games will not eventually favor the Buccaneers.
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