The 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will engage in another battle of first place teams in Week Five when they hit the road to face the 3-1 Seahawks in Seattle. It is also a matchup of the NFL's two 1976 expansion teams, as both teams are celebrating their 50th seasons and will be wearing throwback uniforms that reflect the occasion. To find out how to watch, listen and livestream the game, click here.
Some analysts are leery of the Bucs' Week Five outlook due to mounting injuries on defense, but others note that the Seahawks have struggled to protect their homefield advantage over the past two seasons. The strong run defense for both teams is noted, as is the current run of tough matchups for the Buccaneers. There are, of course, plenty of strong opinions on the play of quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, the first and third-overall picks in the 2018 draft, respectively.
NFL.com's Dan Parr points out the unfortunate note that the Bucs are 0-4 in games in which they are missing Mike Evans over the past two seasons, and adds this:
"Combine that with the potential absence of RB1 Bucky Irving (foot injury), and the Tampa Bay offense just isn't the same. The Seahawks have allowed the second-fewest points per game (16.8) and third-fewest yards per play (4.5) in 2025, which means Mike Macdonald could make life very difficult for [Baker] Mayfield. Admittedly, if the blitz starts getting home against Seattle's offensive line, it's not hard to envision Darnold turning into a pumpkin, but I'll take the home team in a tight one."
The Buccaneers are 3.5-point underdogs on the road and that close line is reflected in the experts picks, as the road team actually get a significant amount of backing. Here's what some of them are predicting will occur on Sunday at Lumen Field:
NFL.com – Of the five NFL.com experts, only Gennaro Filice thinks the Bucs get away with a win
ESPN.com – This group sides heavily with the home team, with nine of 11 picking Seattle
CBSSports.com – Pete Prisco goes with the Bucs in an upset
USA Today – Five of six experts side with the Buccaneers straight up
Bleacher Report – Picking against the spread, all seven analysts take the Bucs and the points
Pro Football Talk – Neither Mike Florio nor former Buc Chris Simms sees Tampa Bay prevailing
Sports Illustrated – The MMQB staff splits 4-3 in favor of the Buccaneers
Sporting News – The pick here is the Bucs by a single point
