Commanders vs. Buccaneers Final Score Prediction for NFL Wild Card Round (Back to Bucs to Win on Sunday Night)

Iain MacMillan | Jan 11, 2025

The Buccaneers are favored on Sunday night against the Commanders. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders played against each other 0n the opening Sunday of the NFL season and now they'll face off in a rematch on Wild-Card Weekend.

The Buccaneers locked up a 37-20 win in Week 1, but now Jayden Daniels will come into this game a more experienced quarterback, looking to win his first postseason start.

Let's dive into the latest odds for the game and then I'll predict the final score.

Commanders vs. Buccaneers Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

• Commanders +3 (-105)
• Buccaneers -3 (-115)

Moneyline

• Commanders +145
• Buccaneers -175

Total

• OVER 50.5 (-110)
• UNDER 50.5 (-110)

The Buccaneers opened as 3-point favorites and the line has remained steady throughout the week. The total has dropped one point from 51.5 to 50.5.

Commanders vs. Buccaneers Final Score Prediction

In this week's edition of the "Road to Super Bowl 59", I broke down why I'm laying the field goal with the Buccaneers:

Despite delivering some electric moments this NFL season, the underlying numbers on the Commanders don't look promising. They enter the playoffs ranking 13th in the NFL in Net Yards per Play at +0.3, while ranking just 15th in EPA per play and 19th opponent EPA per play since Week 10.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have quietly become one of the elite teams in the league. They're now fifth in Net Yards per Play (+0.7), along with fourth in EPA per play and seventh in opponent EPA per play since Week 10.

Most importantly, the Buccaneers should find plenty of success running the football. Since committing to Bucky Irving as their main rusher, their running game has thrived. Now they get to face a Commanders defense that allows 4.8 yards per carry, the fifth most in the NFL.

Finally, the Commanders have struggled on the road this season, ranking 27th in road Net Yards per Play at -0.6. A lot of things are pointing in the Bucs' favor on Sunday night.

If you want to watch an offensive shootout, this may be the game for you. Both teams have quarterbacks who can toss the ball over the field and put up points in a hurry. Also, the Commanders' defense leaves a lot to be desired.

Final score prediction: Commanders 27, Buccaneers 32

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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