The Washington Commanders (12-5) face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) in an NFC wild-card game from Raymond James Stadium. It’s a rematch from Week 1 of the 2024 season, which the Buccaneers won 37-20.
Much has changed for both teams since Week 1. Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels just finished the greatest rookie season for a QB in NFL history, helping the Commanders win 12 regular-season games for the first time in 33 years. Washington has won five games in a row heading into Sunday’s matchup.
Tampa Bay enters this matchup red-hot, too, having won six of its last seven games. Quarterback Baker Mayfield had a career year, passing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. Running back Bucky Irving was one of the NFL’s breakout rookies.
Below are the latest odds and our final score prediction for Sunday.
Commanders vs. Buccaneers game odds:
All NFL Odds via BetMGM:
- Point spread: Commanders 3 (-110) / Buccaneers +3 (-110)
- Money line: Commanders +135 / Buccaneers -160
- Over-under: 50.5 (O: -110 / U: -110)
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Commanders vs. Buccaneers injury updates:
- Commanders WR Jamison Crowder: Questionable (hamstring)
- Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean: Questionable (knee)
- Buccaneers S Mike Edwards: Questionable (quad)
- Buccaneers DL Logan Hall: Questionable (groin)
- Buccaneers TE Cade Otton: Questionable (knee)
- Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield: Questionable (knee)
Commanders vs. Buccaneers prediction, pick:
Bryan Manning:
I believe the Commanders will move the ball well on offense. I am not sure that the running game will get going, but Jayden Daniels will again lead Washington in rushing. If OC Kliff Kingsbury targets Terry McLaurin enough, he’ll have a big game. There are questions in Tampa’s secondary. Defensively is another story. Washington’s run defense is poor in every metric. You don’t have to dig into analytics to see how much the Commanders have struggled against the run. That will prove to be the difference in the game. While Mayfield will play well, Bucky Irving is the X-Factor, and will rush for over 100 yards.
Pick: Buccaneers 34, Commanders 27
Ivan Lambert:
Jayden Daniels has made spectacular plays all season, helping lead the Commanders to 12 wins. But he has also held on to the ball too long at times, being sacked the sixth most times (47) in the NFL this season.
On the other side of the ball, Baker Mayfield carved up the Commanders in game one. They only hit him four times and only sacked him once. The defense will need to do much better against Mayfield, who passed for 4,500 yards this season and had 41 touchdowns.
Bucky Irving is the other significant factor, having rushed for 1,122 yards this season. He can make people miss and get a big play for the Bucs offense.
Washington is a different team than they were in Jayden Daniels’s first NFL game. But with the advent of Irving, the Bucs are better, too.
Pick: Buccaneers 31, Commanders 27
Commanders vs. Buccaneers channel, start time, streaming:
The Commanders vs. Buccaneers game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBC or streamed on Peacock.
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.