The New England Patriots welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Massachusetts on Friday, August 16th for a 2013 NFL Preseason clash at Gillette Stadium. The week two exhibition meeting is scheduled to kick off at 8:00pm ET on FOX. The latest NFL Odds from offshore bookmaker 5Dimes have the Pats listed as a -3 against the spread home favorite; the Over/Under is set at 41.5 points.
Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano went 2-2 both straight up and against the spread in preseason action last year, but he fell to 2-3 lifetime, in both areas, after last weekend's exhibition opener against the Ravens.
Baltimore stomped the Buccaneers 44-16 and it did so despite posting just 332 yards of total offense. The Bucs, in particular reserve quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Adam Weber, aided the Ravens cause as they accounted for three of Tampa Bay's four turnovers.
Schiano and his troops would seemingly be staring at another loss this week with a road trip to New England on the docket, but this is still the preseason and it should be noted these two clubs will clash for real on September 22nd in Foxborough.
Given Bill Belichick's secretive nature, it seems likely the Patriots, who cruised to a 31-22 win over the Eagles last week, play an extremely vanilla hand in Friday night's contest. Conversely, the Buccaneers are probably anxious to wash the taste of the Ravens game out of their collective mouths.
Sure it was only an exhibition game, but after last season's horrendous finish (Tampa lost five of its last six games) Schiano is, no doubt, anxious to stem any negative vibes before they become something bigger.
2013 NFL Preseason Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New England Patriots:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3 (+100), Over 41.5 (-110)
New England Patriots -3 (-120), Under 41.5 (-110)
NFL Free Picks: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New England Patriots Betting
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