NFL WEEK 5
GREG COTE'S THURSDAY PICK
BUCCANEERS (3-1) at BEARS (3-1)
Line: TB by 3 {.
Cote's pick: TB 23-17.
TV: 8:20 p.m. Thursday, Fox/NFL.
Week 5 kickoff starts with two of the six NFL teams that missed the playoffs last season but have at least three wins now. The line on this game was bet way down from 6 to 3 { points over past few days. Why? Not from a sudden mass belief in Nick Foles, but from a perusal of Tampa Bay's key offensive injuries. Tom Brady, coming off his best game as a Buc, will be missing TE O.J. Howard and WR Chris Godwin, while top target Mike Evans (ankle) is questionable to be ready on this short week. His RB room is an infirmary, too. On the other hand, he's still Tom Brady, and Tampa's defense is stout, especially against the run. So. You trust Foles to win this game? To outpitch and outpoint Brady? I don't. Chicago's Khalil Mack-led defense is good, too, but it isn't (or hasn't been yet) the mayhem-wreaking, turnover-causing force it was in 2018. Bottom line: Liking Tampa's defense over an out-of-sync Bears O and Brady outperforming Foles to get Buccaneers off to a 4-1 start for the first time since 2005.
