Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Washington Redskins are coming off their bye week and hope some extra time off will help them readjust to having quarterback Robert Griffin III under center when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday. The Redskins lost on the road to the Minnesota Vikings 29-26 as one-point underdogs in Griffin’s return to action prior to their bye, and they will be facing a Tampa Bay team riding a five-game losing streak.

Point spread: The Redskins opened as six-point favorites; the total was 45 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 19.2-10.8 Redskins

Why the Buccaneers can cover the spread

For whatever reason, the Buccaneers seem to play better on the road, where they have earned their only win of the season and gone 3-0 against the spread in their past three games as underdogs. Tampa Bay got a solid effort from quarterback Josh McCown in his return to action last week, as the veteran threw for 301 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 27-17 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons as three-point underdogs.

McCown used all three of his big targets in wide receivers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who combined for 230 of the yards and scored both touchdowns.

Why the Redskins can cover the spread

Washington saw Griffin lose some of his rust from an ankle injury in the loss to the Vikings, and he should be able to play better at home, where he has started only one game this season. The Redskins may not have much of a chance to win the NFC East this year, but they can start building for next season, which makes this an important game for them.

They got two of their three wins in consecutive games before falling at Minnesota and seemed to be on the right track. But that short winning streak came with third-string quarterback Colt McCoy running the offense. Griffin led Washington to a 24-22 victory at Tampa Bay two years ago with 323 passing yards, and he should be able to pick apart the Bucs secondary again here.

Smart Pick

While the Redskins certainly appear to be a better bet to win this game, the line is just too high to merit a wager on them in this spot. They have failed to cover the spread in their last four games as home favorites of seven points or more along with six of their past seven.

McCown also played well in his most recent trip to Washington in relief of the injured Jay Cutler last year when he was with the Bears, throwing for 204 yards and one touchdown in a 45-41 loss, keeping them in the game until the very end. Tampa Bay might be a poor team in terms of wins, but this squad always seems to play hard on the road. For that reason, bet the Bucs to stay within a touchdown against the Redskins.

Betting Trends

• The total has gone under in four of Tampa Bay's last six games when playing Washington
• Washington is 3-14 straight up in its last 17 games

Note: All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark - follow us on Twitter for injury updates and line move updates.