There should be some concern about the Buffalo Bills after some bad performances. It could reach a full panic by the end of Thursday night.
The Bills have lost two of three. The win came against the lowly New York Giants, and the Bills were outplayed in that game and had to hold on from their own 1-yard line on the final play to win. Then Buffalo lost to the New England Patriots, who have looked like one of the NFL’s worst teams.
On Thursday night, the Bills play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are 9.5-point favorites at BetMGM. The Buccaneers aren’t one of the NFL’s worst teams, but it’s still a team that Buffalo needs to beat and look good doing it.
The latter part is important. The Bills are still 4-3 and that’s fine. But recently they don’t look like a team that’s going to win enough games to take the AFC East. The offense is relying too much on Josh Allen and the defense has not adjusted well to some big season-ending injuries including linebacker Matt Milano. Buffalo needs a blowout just to gain some confidence.
The Buccaneers are having a mini-crisis too. They’re 1-3 since a 2-0 start to the season. Baker Mayfield is dealing with a knee injury, though he will likely play through it. The offense has had its issues, which cost them in a 16-13 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week. They don’t want to fall below .500.
It’s a huge game for both teams. Only one of them was expected to be a Super Bowl contender though. If the Bills don’t look better on Thursday night, they’ll look even further from that championship dream.
Here’s the first look at the sports betting slate for Thursday:
Sixers and Bucks make 2023-24 debuts
Damian Lillard will be on the court in Milwaukee on Thursday night. James Harden will be back in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks start their seasons with much different storylines. For the Bucks, it’s an exciting new era after trading for Lillard and watching Giannis Antetokounmpo sign a huge extension. The 76ers can’t do anything without being asked about what’s next with the Harden drama, as he continues to angle for a trade. The Bucks are a 6.5-point favorite with Harden being left at home to ramp up after missing some practices. The 76ers should still be able to compete against a Bucks team learning how to play with the Lillard/Antetokounmpo combination.
Lakers and Suns in the nightcap
The Phoenix Suns will be shorthanded for Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal being listed as doubtful. The Lakers lost on opening night at the Denver Nuggets, but they’re 5.5-point favorites against the Suns. The Lakers need to be able to take advantage of a Suns team without two of its best players.
Best of the rest
In the college football world, Virginia Tech is a 3-point favorite against Syracuse. And Georgia Southern is a 1.5-point favorite against Georgia State.
There’s a lot of action on the ice with 11 games. The best game could be in Dallas, where the Toronto Maple Leafs are visiting the Dallas Stars. The Stars are a -125 favorite.
What’s the best bet?
We’re going to give the Bills one final shot. If there’s no urgency in this game Thursday night, and they can’t impose their will on a Buccaneers team that is fading themselves, it will be a troubling sign. Let’s take Buffalo.
