The Buccaneers currently hold the sixth seed in the NFC playoff picture with a record of 7-5, matching their win total already from last year. They got some overdue rest this past weekend with their bye week and now play host to the NFC's seventh seed: the Minnesota Vikings.
The former NFC Central foe brings to town the league's fourth-best offense and have won five of their last six contests after a slow start to the season. With offensive weapons like running back Dalvin Cook, wide receivers Adam Thielen and rookie phenom Justin Jefferson, along with tight end Kyle Rudolph, quarterback Kirk Cousins and his eighth-ranked passer rating, is leading the team to an average of 389.8 total yards per game.
The Bucs match up with them well, though. The Vikings are averaging 145.7 yards on the ground each game, while Tampa Bay and its top-ranked rushing defense are allowing an average of just 74.2. On the other side of the ball, the Buccaneers rank sixth in offensive points scored this season with 28.7, meanwhile Minnesota ranks 26th in points allowed, letting up an average of 27.4 a game.
So, who will win out? See what the experts think below.
- NFL.com, Greg Rosenthal – Buccaneers
- ESPN.com, Consensus – Buccaneers (split)
- ProFootballTalk, Mike Florio - Buccaneers
- USA Today, Consensus – Buccaneers (unanimous)
- SB Nation, Consensus – Buccaneers (split)
- CBSSports.com, Consensus – Vikings (split)
