It's Week 1 and fittingly, no one knows what to make of the Bucs home matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. The Bucs hold a slight edge in predictions from some of the top outlets listed below but in cases where the picks are made based on a consensus, those consensuses (consensi?) are split.
Admittedly, Tampa Bay has a lot of question marks with a brand-new coaching staff in place. How the team fits in and executes the new schemes in place remains to be seen. The preseason gave us a glimmer of the differences on defense, with an attacking, aggressive system conceived by Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles to fit the Bucs' personnel. Offensively, the big question mark remains to be how quarterback Jameis Winston, in a contract year, responds to the 'Quarterback Whisperer' himself in Head Coach Bruce Arians.
They'll be attempting to figure this all out against the San Francisco 49ers who unlike the last meeting back in Week 12 of 2018, will now be with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The San Francisco signal caller missed most of last season due to injury and this will be the first time Coach Bowles will be scheming against him. What the 49ers look like with him under center and subsequently how the Bucs do against them has the experts in disagreement.
See below for the full list of expert picks.
NFL.com, Greg Rosenthal – Buccaneers
USA Today, Consensus – Buccaneers (split)
SBNation.com, Consensus – 49ers (split)
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