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Picks against the spread

Week 2 picks · Mea culpa

Watson's late TD to Whiteheart sinks Buccaneers -8.5 in a 23-19 upset

Mea culpa

I said Tampa's offense was fine without Mike Evans. At home against the Browns team that burned me a week earlier, it produced one touchdown and four field goals. The Bucs led 16-6 in the third, then Deshaun Watson threw for 238 yards and two scores: the tying touchdown to Denzel Boston, who caught five for 95, and a 17-yarder to Blake Whiteheart for the lead. After a lightning delay of roughly two hours, Baker Mayfield's fourth-and-11 throw into the end zone fell incomplete. Lost outright laying 8.5. Missed by 12.5, and chasing last week's result was the mistake.

loss Browns 23, Buccaneers 19

The pick: Buccaneers -8.5 vs Browns

The case before kickoff

I'm reversing course from last week. I took Cleveland +8.5 on the "big spread, low total" theory and they lost by 24. Tickets and money agree on Tampa, and there's little disagreement to exploit, plus Dylan Sampson went on IR. The Bucs scored 27 in Cincinnati, so their offense is fine without Evans. This is a lean, not a play.

Reporting: Pro Football Talk · CBS Sports · Buccaneers.com · ClevelandBrowns.com

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