New England Patriots Vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 10 NFL Betting Predictions, Picks and Parlays

Gronk, Bill, and The Injury Bug: Pats-Bucs Gets Spicy

This coming Sunday's game between Patriots and Buccaneers is already an adventure in itself before an official kickoff of the ball. Let's leave aside all said football action and take a look at all said off-field action that grabs the headlines. In the one corner, you have a Pats dynasty that refuses to quit, thanks to former Patriots coach Bill Belichick being named one of nine semifinalists for Hall of Fame Class of 2026 coaches.

The Hoodie, in Canton? You love to see it, even if he's coaching elsewhere now. That legacy, those six rings, it just dwarfs everything, right? It puts a weird, extra spotlight on New England anytime they play a franchise where his fingerprints—or let's be honest, Tom Brady's—are all over it.

But let's get to the real immediate worry down in Tampa: The injury report looks grim. ESPN's Adam Schefter dropped a bomb on Wednesday, reporting that both running back Bucky Irving and star wideout Chris Godwin were nowhere to be found at practice. Nowhere! That's a huge question mark for the Bucs' offense, especially coming off their bye week. 

Irving has missed a few games already with shoulder and foot issues, and Godwin has been battling that fibula injury, which is apparently more serious than the tight-lipped Coach Todd Bowles lets on. If those two are out, who is catching passes not named Mike Evans? Who is running the rock besides a potentially overworked Rachaad White? The offense suddenly looks bare-bones against a New England defense that, surprisingly, has been holding its own this season. 

On the flip side, the Pats aren't exactly healthy themselves; their leading receiver, Kayshon Boutte, is day-to-day with a hamstring. Still, Tampa's wounds seem deeper. Bottom line: the Bucs better hope those two "no-shows" today were just vet rest, or the Pats might actually sneak one out in a low-scoring slugfest. It's going to be a nail-biter, mostly because we have no idea who's even playing.

That appears to be the take from the oddsmakers, as well, who put the line at just -140 to +120 in favor of Tampa Bay. Overzealous optimism? Perhaps. The Pats may not be the same Pats of yesteryear, but the Bucs, despite some signs of life, aren't the Bucs, either.