TAMPA BAY vs NASHVILLE
When: 2/8/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: NASHVILLE , TAMPA BAY

Oddsmakers currently have the TAMPA BAY listed as -150-moneyline favorites versus the NASHVILLE, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

As the Tampa Bay Lightning departed for Tennessee on Sunday, their thoughts were back home in what may become the next “City of Champions.”

The Lightning face the Nashville Predators for the first time on the road and third time overall Monday, starting a back-to-back series between the Central Division opponents.

With the Bolts as the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Rays claiming last season’s American League pennant and the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning the NFC for the second time, the team’s mind was on Super Bowl LV– also in Tampa.

Watching the big game hoped to provide some relaxation before renewing their physical battle with the Predators, who lost twice last week in Tampa — one being a fight-filled bout last weekend.

“Any time a team can go on a run — whether it’s the Lightning, Rays or Bucs — you were definitely following,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “It seems here in the community we’re all in this together.

“I feel sick for the fans that they haven’t been able to watch in person the three teams rise to the top, but there’s a sense of pride being from Tampa.”

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has seen it before.

“I got a taste of it in my rookie year when the Rays went to the World Series (in 2008) and the Super Bowl was hosted by Tampa, so it’s come full cycle now and been cool to be a part of,” said Stamkos, who turned 31 on Sunday.

Through seven wins in nine games, the Lightning appear to be primed to add to the city’s burgeoning resume of success, and they showed they can go about it in different ways when they faced the Predators — winning 4-3 and 5-2 in tilts that featured stretches of dominant play by the home side.

The Lightning played fast but also big, strong and edgy — characteristics they added to their team last season by acquiring forwards Pat Maroon, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman.

Nashville showed plenty of fight in its subsequent series in South Florida when they split back-to-back games with the Florida Panthers.

The resilient Predators kept grinding again in Thursday night’s 6-5 win when they scored twice down two goals in the in final three minutes of regulation to force overtime. Filip Forsberg, who produced five points, won it in overtime with a minute left.

But the dramatic win came at a price.

Mired in a goalless slump, top-line center Ryan Johansen was lost with an upper-body injury Thursday. That forced Matt Duchene’s line of Mikael Granlund and Forsberg to the top in Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Panthers when the Predators were clearly outplayed.

Florida outshot the visitors 20-5 in the first period and 36-25 overall. The Panthers also meted out 40 hits to Nashville’s 25, plus won the faceoffs 37-25 after losing the battle in the dot by almost the same margin Thursday.

“(The problem) is inconsistency through our game,” Nashville coach John Hynes said. “If you’re going to win consistently and string wins together and get yourself into a situation where you’re going to be a competitive team, the inconsistencies need to stop.”

On Saturday, the club sent forwards Eeli Tolvanen and Mathieu Olivier to the taxi squad.

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NASHVILLE vs TAMPA BAY
When: 1/30/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY , NASHVILLE

Oddsmakers currently have the NASHVILLE listed as 155-moneyline favorites versus the TAMPA BAY, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

The Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning are discovering that playing more than 60 minutes is a way of life in the NHL’s Central Division.

For the first time this season, the two division opponents will meet Saturday night on Florida’s west coast, and they know there’s a good likelihood overtime or the shootout may have to decide the winner.

Over a stretch of six straight games in the division from Tuesday through Thursday, every contest was either settled in overtime or a shootout — all three-point contests. The streak was snapped Thursday in the division’s final game of the night when the Stars beat Detroit 7-3 in Dallas.

The Predators hosted Chicago in back-to-back tilts Tuesday and Wednesday, and the results — both requiring extra time — were good for Nashville over their former Western Conference foe.

In Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime victory, captain Roman Josi tallied to put away the Blackhawks, helping Nashville cast aside the bad memories from a tough two-game stint in Texas.

Dallas blasted the Predators 7-0 in its first hockey game this season last Friday after a delayed start due to COVID-19 protocol. The score was more competitive two days later — a 3-2 loss in regulation to the Stars — but the damage had been done.

Nashville returned home with little to show for the effort and struggling with a penalty-kill unit that allowed five power-play goals in the blowout loss and three more in the one-goal defeat.

In the two games, the Stars tied an NHL record for most power-play goals over a two-game span, succeeding on 8 of 12 chances.

“That’s not who we are as a team, and that was unacceptable,” said Nick Cousins, who scored his first goal in a Nashville uniform in Wednesday’s 2-1 shootout win. “Coming back home was kind of a chance to reset and play Chicago back-to-back.”

Matt Duchene registered the only tally in the shootout, and goalie Juuse Saros was rock solid in denying Chicago’s shooters anything in the one-on-one session that gave Nashville its second straight victory and some momentum heading to Florida.

The Predators will also play Monday in Tampa before traveling south to face the Florida Panthers in back-to-back matches on Thursday and Friday.

After an unexpected four-day break due to Carolina’s COVID-19 concerns, Tampa Bay returned to play Thursday and lost 1-0 to the Hurricanes on Martin Necas’ marker 1:12 into overtime.

Petr Mrazek’s 32-save shutout — the Hurricanes’ first game action in 10 days — marked the first time Tampa Bay had been held scoreless in 88 consecutive regular-season contests.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said the way the Central is set up will create plenty of close competition, perhaps needing extra time to determine a winner on most nights.

“We were talking about that last night — all these three-point games,” said Cooper. “There’s a lot of defense in our division. It’s going to be tough to score (against) all these teams.

“I think you’re going to see a lot more games go to overtime than probably in a lot of these other divisions.”

Starting his 31st straight game dating back to the 2019-20 regular season, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded 35 saves, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from losing to Carolina for the first time in eight career games (7-0-1).

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TAMPA BAY vs GREEN BAY
When: 1/24/2021 3:05 PM
Where:

TV: 3:05 PM
LINE: -4
PREDICTION: GREEN BAY , TAMPA BAY

Oddsmakers currently have the GREEN BAY listed as -4 point favorites versus the TAMPA BAY, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.

The beat down was so horrific that a possible rematch didn’t seem enticing at the time.

But three months later, the fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers and top-seeded Green Bay Packers are clearly the best two teams in the conference and they will square off again in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

The winner advances to the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 in a venue highly familiar to one of these teams — Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

But flash back to Week 6 when the host Buccaneers spotted Green Bay 10 first-quarter points and then spent the rest of the game pounding and dismantling the Packers in a 38-10 shellacking.

Tampa Bay star linebacker Devin White didn’t mince words afterward, saying the Packers “didn’t deserve to be on the field with us.”

In the eyes of Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur, White’s words aren’t bulletin-board material. They are facts.

“You know, hey, he was right. They whipped us,” LaFleur said earlier this week. “There’s no sense in talking about it. The only thing you can do is you’ve got to prepare the best you can and then go prove it.”

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions — one returned for a touchdown by cornerback Jamel Dean — and was sacked four times while passing for just 160 yards. His accuracy rate (45.7 on 16-of-35 passing) was his worst of the season.

Though things went exceedingly well in the first matchup, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians can sum up the meeting this way: Doesn’t mean a thing.

“You can’t fall into that trap of what happened last time,” Arians said. “They’re a much, much better football team and we’re a much better football team. Both (teams are) very different right now, so you better take care of today’s work each and every day.”

Tampa Bay reached the NFC title game with a solid 30-20 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Packers advanced with a 32-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.

In fact, the Buccaneers also won at Washington this postseason and have won seven straight road games as they enter hallowed Lambeau Field while weather reports forecast a 50-percent chance of snow.

“Let’s keep that streak going — that would be pretty sweet,” Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady said. “Let’s get another one. We’re going to be challenged to get it because we’re going up against a great football team.

“It’s a great environment. This is one of the coolest stadiums in the league to play in. I know they’re excited, we’ll be excited, and it will make for a great football game.”

Brady, a six-time Super Bowl champ, will be playing in his 14th career league championship final and went 9-4 in AFC title games during his stint with the New England Patriots. The 43-year-old has been performing like someone younger as he passed for 4,633 yards and set a franchise record with 40 touchdown passes in the regular season.

Rodgers also had a stellar season with 4,299 yards and a franchise-record 48 touchdown passes and is a heavy favorite to win NFL MVP honors. He is playing in his fifth NFC title game and is looking to reach his second Super Bowl.

That lone Super Bowl appearance was 10 years ago, but Rodgers insists he isn’t feeling a raise in the stress level.

“No more pressure than usual,” Rodgers said. “It starts with the mentality and focus. Obviously, I put pressure on myself to perform every single week. There’s a lot to be said to be able to harness that pressure and the fear of failure and focus it into a real positive. But I don’t feel any extra pressure this week.”

Despite the sour outing against the Buccaneers, Rodgers and the Packers committed a league-low 11 turnovers in the regular season. Green Bay also features elite wideout Davante Adams, who led the NFL with 18 touchdowns receptions while making 115 catches for 1,374 yards.

Tampa Bay led the league in defending the run (80.6 yards per game), second-year pro White (140 tackles, nine sacks) blossomed into one of the top linebackers in the NFL and wideout Mike Evans (NFL record seventh straight 1,000-yard season to begin a career) leads a deep group of targets.

Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown (knee) will miss the game, while defensive tackle Vita Vea was activated. Vea suffered a broken lower leg on Oct. 8 against the Chicago Bears. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (ankle) is questionable.

Packers defensive end Kingsley Keke (concussion) will sit out. Cornerback Kevin King (back) is questionable.

Sunday’s game marks the first time Green Bay has hosted the NFC title game since the 2007 season when Rodgers was the backup to Brett Favre. The Packers lost to the New York Giants 23-20 in overtime.

Tampa Bay is playing in its first NFC championship contest since the 2002 season. The Buccaneers posted a 27-10 win over the host Philadelphia Eagles and went on to rout the then-Oakland Raiders 48-21 in the Super Bowl.

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TAMPA BAY vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 1/17/2021 6:40 PM
Where:

TV: 6:40 PM
LINE: -3
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , TAMPA BAY

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as -3 point favorites versus the TAMPA BAY, while the game’s total is sitting at 52.

The New Orleans Saints are the only team to have beaten Tom Brady twice in the same season.

They will try to beat Brady a third time this season when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC divisional-round game on Sunday.

Drew Brees and the Saints ruined Brady’s debut with the Buccaneers after 20 seasons in New England when they prevailed 34-23 in the season opener in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

They handed Brady the worst loss of his career when they completed the season-series sweep with a 38-3 rout in Tampa on Nov. 8.

Now the stakes are higher, as the winner will earn a trip to the NFC Championship on Jan. 24.

“When the playoffs come and you’re playing a division opponent like this,” Saints coach Sean Payton said, “it’s a whole new season. It’s entirely different.”

Much of the attention leading up to the game will be on Brees and Brady, the two most productive passers in NFL history. This will be the last time they face each other if Brees retires after this season.

Brady is 43 years old and Brees turns 42 on Friday.

Brees’ team has won five of the eight career match-ups, and this will be the first time the two have met in the playoffs.

“I envisioned this game happening (when Brady signed with the Bucs last offseason),” Brees said. “Tom and I have a friendship and mutual respect. We were texting back and forth Monday, chuckling at this whole scenario.”

The Saints’ defense was perhaps the most important factor in winning the first two games. They intercepted Brady twice in the first meeting, including one that Janoris Jenkins returned for a touchdown, and they intercepted him three times in the second meeting.

Brees had six touchdowns and no interceptions in the first two meetings.

For the season, Brady has passed for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He has just seven interceptions against teams other than New Orleans.

“I think we’ve just been going through growing pains throughout the season,” Tampa Bay wide receiver Chris Godwin said, “which is what happens when you have a new quarterback. It takes some time to build that chemistry and I think over the last couple of weeks we’ve done better at that.”

Since the second loss to the Saints, the Bucs have averaged 34 points per game.

“We’re doing different things that we were doing back then, especially in the opener,” Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said. “It’s just a matter of doing what you do and doing it better than they do (what they do).”

Brady threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-23 wild-card win last week at Washington. That was the Bucs’ first playoff win since they won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season.

Running back Ronald Jones, who didn’t play last week, missed practice Wednesday because of quad and finger injuries.

Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who has three of the Saints’ six sacks of Brady this season, missed a 21-9 home victory against Chicago last week because of a neck injury, but he returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday.

“A lot of things change in a season,” Arians said. “It comes down to one-on-one battles of guys who know each other. Who’s going to make the game-changing plays in this game?”

The Saints, who are trying to reach the NFC Championship Game for the second time in three seasons, have won the last five meetings.

“When we play each other (there) is a lot of emotion, a lot of physicalities,” Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans said. “As players we love it. We love this rivalry. I know the fans love it. I would say it is our biggest rivalry.”

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ATLANTA vs TAMPA BAY
When: 1/3/2021 1:00 PM
Where:

TV: 1:00 PM
LINE: -6.5
PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY , ATLANTA

Oddsmakers currently have the TAMPA BAY listed as -6.5 point favorites versus the ATLANTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 50.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, but coach Bruce Arians still has a major task at the forefront of his mind.

Arians not only wants to close the regular season with a victory in Sunday’s game against the visiting Atlanta Falcons, but he also wants to see Mike Evans’ name standing alone in the record books.

Evans needs 40 receiving yards against the Falcons (4-11) to become the first player in NFL history to reach 1,000 in each of his first seven NFL seasons. Evans shares the current mark of six with Hall of Famer Randy Moss.

“I desperately want that to happen,” Arians said. “Whatever he needs or whatever he has left — I’m sure Atlanta’s not going to want to give it to him, so we’ll have to find some creative ways to get it for him.”

There were certainly times when it looked like there wasn’t much of a chance of the streak being extended.

Evans, 27, was bothered by a hamstring injury at the outset of the campaign and later suffered an ankle injury. He had just 2 receiving yards — yes 2 — in both Weeks 1 and 3.

When he had just 10 yards in Week 6, Evans’ total was at 281. Even in mid-December, he had just 669 yards with three games left.

But Evans heated up quickly. He had 110 yards in Week 15 when the Buccaneers (10-5) defeated the Falcons 31-17, and had his top outing of the campaign on Dec. 26 when he had 10 catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-7 rout of the Detroit Lions.

And just like that, Evans’ total sits at 960 as he closes in on the record.

“Early in the season, I was hurt really bad,” Evans said. “But it’s my job to play, like I always say. It just feels good. I’m getting back on track and getting healthier.”

Despite the slow start, Evans has 67 receptions and a franchise-record 13 touchdown catches, breaking the mark he set in 2014 and 2016.

Evans meshes well with Tom Brady as the quarterback has set a franchise mark with 36 touchdown passes while throwing for 4,234 yards and 11 interceptions.

The Buccaneers are also hoping to have running back Ronald Jones II (900 rushing yards) back on the field. Jones came off the reserve/COVID-19 list but still is dealing with a fractured pinkie. He was limited in practice Wednesday, as was cornerback Carlton Davis (groin) and linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul (knee).

While Tampa Bay is seeking a fourth straight victory, the Falcons are hoping to avoid a fifth straight loss.

In fact, Atlanta fans won’t be overly crushed with another loss as many are consumed with the 2021 draft order. Only two teams — the New York Jets (2-13) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1-14) — have fewer victories than the Falcons.

“Our fan base is very knowledgeable and that’s their job to cheer for those types of things, but our job is to go out and win football games,” interim head coach Raheem Morris said. “We really love those guys, we really love Atlanta, we love everything we stand for, and when that time comes we’ll address those accordingly.”

Morris replaced Dan Quinn after the team’s 0-5 start and temporarily had things moving in the right direction with four wins in six games. The final game in that stretch was a 43-6 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

But the Falcons lost all four of their December games. The losses were all close with the margin of defeats by a combined 15 points.

The season as a whole leaves veteran quarterback Matt Ryan with mixed feelings. He sees all the chances his squad squandered but he feels optimistic about the near future.

“I feel like we’ve got a good core group of guys here that you can build on and I think we’ve been competitive,” Ryan said. “We just haven’t found a way to get the job done in finishing situations enough this year and it’s something we definitely have to improve at moving forward.”

Veteran receiver Julio Jones (hamstring) didn’t practice Wednesday and could miss his third straight game.

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TAMPA BAY vs DETROIT
When: 12/26/2020 1:00 PM
Where:

TV: 1:00 PM
LINE: 10
PREDICTION: DETROIT , TAMPA BAY

Oddsmakers currently have the DETROIT listed as 10 point favorites versus the TAMPA BAY, while the game’s total is sitting at 54.

Tom Brady’s arrival led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to believe their long playoff drought might end this season.

That dream could come to fruition as early as Saturday, when the Bucs visit Detroit.

A victory would clinch a playoff berth with one more game to go. So would a Chicago loss or tie to Jacksonville.

The Bucs (9-5) are also still in the running for an NFC South Division title. While the Bucs trail the Saints (10-4) by a game, if the teams finished tied, the Saints would win the tiebreaker since they beat Tampa Bay twice in the regular season.

The last time the Bucs reached the postseason was 2007, when they lost to the New York Giants in the wild-card round.

“I call them a hat and T-shirt games,” coach Bruce Arians said. “This is a hat and T-shirt game. You get a hat and a T-shirt when you’re in the playoffs. It’s a great feeling for these guys. That was the goal this year — it was to get in The Dance and anything can happen once you’re in there. But get ourselves in The Dance and we have that opportunity on (Saturday).”

A Brady-fueled comeback on Sunday put the Bucs on the brink of a postseason berth. Tampa Bay trailed Atlanta 17-0 at halftime but roared back for a 31-27 triumph. Brady threw for 390 yards and two touchdowns.

He needs 114 passing yards on Saturday to reach the 4,000-yard mark for the season. Brady will be making his 300th career regular-season appearance.

With Ronald Jones placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and also recovering from finger surgery, Leonard Fournette served as the main running back against the Falcons. He rushed for 49 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns.

“I thought it was fine,” Arians said of the running game. “When we wanted to run, we were successful. We pounded it in twice at the goal line and ran out the clock at the end of the game. In between, it was hit or miss. Just enough to keep the play action really good.”

The pass defense was subpar, as it allowed 332 yards. The Bucs also failed to force a turnover.

“Our defense needs to reevaluate themselves a little bit and get back to what we’re supposed to be doing and what we’re capable of doing,” Arians said.

The Lions (5-9) have allowed 30 or more points in each of their last four games. Their decimated defense was gouged for 463 yards in a 46-25 loss to Tennessee on Sunday.

Matthew Stafford played despite a rib injury and threw for 252 yards and a touchdown before he was replaced late in the game by Chase Daniel.

“He was sore coming out of the game. He did take a couple of hits in that game,” interim coach Darrell Bevell said. “He’s as tough as they come, tough as nails.”

The Lions are out of the playoff picture, but Stafford isn’t interested in sitting out the last two games if he feels he can play.

“To be honest with you, I don’t think he’ll let that happen,” Bevell said. “These guys are true competitors. There’s a sense of pride that you need to be there, you want to be there for your teammates.”

Detroit was forced to close its practice facility on Tuesday after two members of the organization tested positive for the coronavirus. Bevell isn’t sure how much the team will be allowed to practice this week.

“Just got to play that by ear,” he said.

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TAMPA BAY vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 9/13/2020 4:25 PM
Where:

TV: 4:25 PM
LINE: -4
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , TAMPA BAY

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as -4 point favorites versus the TAMPA BAY, while the game’s total is sitting at 49.5.

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TAMPA BAY vs CAROLINA
When: 8:20 PM ET, Thursday, September 12, 2019
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

TV: 8:20 PM
LINE: -6.5
PREDICTION: CAROLINA , TAMPA BAY

Oddsmakers currently have the CAROLINA listed as -6.5 point favorites versus the TAMPA BAY, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.

NFL Free Pick

Play: Carolina/Tampa Bay UNDER (Game 102).

Edges – Panthers: 1-4 UNDER on Thursdays … Buccaneers: 6-13 UNDER at Carolina, including 3-7 UNDER when coming off a loss … We recommend a 1* play on the UNDER in this game.  Thank you and good luck as always.

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SAN FRANCISCO vs TAMPA BAY
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, September 8, 2019
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX.
 LINE: Bucanners -1.
O/U: 50.5
PREDICTION: Buccaneers 31, 49ers 27

Oddsmakers currently have the TAMPA BAY listed as -1 point favorites versus the SAN FRANCISCO, while the game’s total is sitting at 49.5.

Back from a knee injury that derailed most of his 2018 season, Jimmy Garoppolo enters a crucial year under center for the San Francisco 49ers, who open play at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. After going 5-0 as a starter with the Niners in 2017 and then signing a $137.5 million deal prior to last season, Garoppolo played in just three games before tearing the ACL on his left knee, crushing San Francisco’s hopes for a rise up the NFC West standings.

“That is what it is, and now he’s done the work to be healthy, but Jimmy hasn’t played a lot of football,” coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. “Everyone knows he’s a good player and knows he’s talented, but we’ve got to go through some situations and go through playing the position. I’m just so pumped that he’s healthy again.” The Niners went 3-10 without Garoppolo to finish out of the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year but hope that a full season of health for the 27-year-old signal-caller can turn things around. Tampa Bay’s playoff drought is much longer at 12 years and it has turned to new head coach Bruce Arians to help end it. Jameis Winston enters his fifth season as the team’s starting quarterback and will be surrounded by a handful of weapons, including Pro Bowler Mike Evans, who was third in the NFL with 1,524 yards in 2018.

ABOUT THE 49ERS (2018: 4-12, 3RD IN NFC WEST): While Garoppolo’s comeback is drawing plenty of attention, San Francisco also hopes to put opposing quarterbacks under severe pressure with a revamped defensive unit featuring newly signed edge rusher Dee Ford and No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa. Ford had 13 sacks with Kansas City a year ago before signing with the Niners while Bosa, who is battling an ankle injury, was a standout at Ohio State. Fourth-year defensive end DeForest Buckner had a team-high 12 sacks a year ago.

ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS (2018: 5-11, 4TH IN NFC SOUTH): Tampa Bay may need a good start to stay relevant later in the year, as the schedule-makers handed the team a brutal stretch from late September through early November in which it goes without a home game for nearly 50 days. It starts with back-to-back road games at the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, followed by a “home” game with the Carolina Panthers in London, a bye week and then road games at Tennessee and Seattle. The Buccaneers were 1-7 on the road each of the last two years.

EXTRA POINTS

1. San Francisco TE George Kittle led all players at his position with 1,377 yards last year.

2. The Buccaneers allowed an NFC-high 29 points per game in 2018.

3. Tampa Bay won the last two meetings, including a 27-9 triumph last Nov. 25 in which Winston threw for 312 yards and two TDs.

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TORONTO vs TAMPA BAY
GAME: Toronto Blue Jays (21-33) at Tampa Bay Rays (32-19)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, May 28 – 7:10 PM EST
WHERE: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), TVA Sports (Toronto), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
LINE:
PREDICTION: Rays 7, Blue Jays 4

Oddsmakers currently have the TAMPA BAY listed as point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at .

The Tampa Bay Rays are stinging the ball during a stretch of five wins in six games, bringing the team a season-best 13 games over .500. The Rays will try to keep the hits coming and earn another series win when they host the Toronto Blue Jays in the second of a three-game series on Tuesday.

Tampa Bay (32-19) has scored at least six runs in each of the last five wins and leadoff man Austin Meadows sparked the offense the last two days while going 7-for-9 with two homers and six RBIs, lifting his batting average to .351 and slugging percentage to .679. “Meadows has been incredible,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters after Monday’s win. “Had three hits and finished it off with a home run. He’s seeing the ball really, really well.” The slumping Blue Jays are losers of 19 of their last 26 games and have watched the pitching staff allow at least six runs in each of the last six setbacks. Veteran left-hander Clayton Richard will try to turn things around for the Toronto staff when he goes up against an opener for the Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH Clayton Richard (0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. Rays RH Ryne Stanek (0-1, 3.18)

Richard made his season debut against Boston on Thursday and yielded one run on two hits in four innings without factoring in the decision. The 35-year-old was designated for assignment by the San Diego Padres during spring training and made a start for Triple-A Buffalo before being returning to the majors last week. Richard spent most of his career in the National League and owns a 0.79 ERA in three career games – one start – against Tampa Bay.

Rays right-hander Ryne Stanek, who owns a 1.64 ERA in 14 starts when used as an opener, is expected to get the ball first on Tuesday, but the bulk of the innings are likely to go to Yarbrough. The 27-year-old Yarbrough was recalled from the minors last week and started at Cleveland on Thursday, allowing two runs and four hits in 7 1/2 innings to earn a win. Yarbrough worked two perfect relief innings to get the win at Toronto on April 12, striking out one.

WALK-OFFS

1. Blue Jays RHP Aaron Sanchez (nail avulsion) was removed from his start on Monday after 64 pitches.

2. Rays OF Tommy Pham is enjoying a 13-game hitting streak.

3. The top four hitters in the Toronto lineup combined to go 0-for-14 with six strikeouts on Monday.

PREDICTION: Rays 7, Blue Jays 4

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