Oakland Raiders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

For many seasons the Oakland Raiders bordered on pathetic on the road, winning just five road games in the previous three seasons before this year. Suddenly, though, Oakland is a very viable bet away from home, going 6-1 straight up and 7-0 against the spread on its last seven road trips. The Raiders play a second straight date in the Sunshine State when they take on Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Point spread: The Buccaneers opened as one-point favorites; the total was 49.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 29.0-20.6 Buccaneers (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Raiders can cover the spread

In its quest to break a 13-season playoff drought, Oakland is now 5-2 and tied for the lead in the AFC West, following last week's 33-16 win at Jacksonville. The Raiders took an early 3-0 lead on the first of four Sebastian Janikowski field goals for the day and never trailed from there, gradually pulling away for the victory/cover as two-point dogs.

Oakland outrushed the Jaguars 144-105, held the ball for over 33 minutes and won the turnover battle 3-0. And that's how you win games and cover spreads in the NFL.

The Raiders then stayed and practiced in Florida this week, avoiding what would have been back-to-back cross-country flights. But why worry? Oakland is already 4-0 both SU and ATS on the road this season, and 2-0 SU and ATS in the Eastern time zone.

Why the Buccaneers can cover the spread

Tampa Bay is home after winning two straight games on the road. First, the Bucs upset the Panthers in Charlotte 17-14 on a Monday night. Then, following their bye week, they went out to Santa Clara and beat the 49ers 34-17. So they're back at .500 and just a half-game out of first place in the mediocre NFC South.

The Buccaneers actually spotted San Francisco an early 14-0 advantage but scored the next 27 points of the game to take control on their way to an outright victory as one-point dogs. Tampa Bay got back to what it should be doing to take the pressure off young quarterback Jameis Winston, running the ball 41 times for 249 yards, as Jacquizz Rodgers came up with his second straight 100-yard effort. The Bucs also controlled the clock for almost 34 minutes and won the turnover battle 3-1.

Three weeks ago, Tampa Bay scored the last 11 points of the game to beat Carolina 17-14.

Smart pick

The Raiders are 5-2 but, believe it or not, they've yet to outgain an opponent this season. The Bucs haven't been much better, outgaining just two foes, but they're also 80 yards per game better than Oakland on defense. The smart money here takes Tampa Bay.

Betting trends

The total has gone over in the Raiders' last five games against the Buccaneers.

The visiting team is 2-5 SU in its last seven games in this matchup.

The Raiders are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games on the road.

All NFL betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.