Thursday Night Football picks and live discussion: Ravens at Buccaneers

Week 8 in the NFL 2022 season is here.

At the beginning of the year this game was perceived as a marquee inter-conference battle. However, both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens have not met expectations. The Bucs are at home and are favored by two points according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

This is an open thread for game chat.

Some of the BTB staff writers have made their picks for this game using Tallysight. The picks are below along with explanations.

Dave Halprin – This is a tough one to pick as both teams have issues. But the Bucs issues seem a little more severe at the moment, so the pick is the Ravens.

David Howman – The Buccaneers have looked like a shell of themselves as of late, struggling to move the ball with any consistency. Meanwhile, Baltimore has really only struggled with putting teams away in the 4th quarter. They overcame that issue last week, and with this game coming on a quick turnaround, I’m siding with the Ravens since they can actually score points right now

Matt Holleran – I have mixed feelings about this matchup. Based off the last five weeks you’d think the Ravens should be favored by 4-5 points in this game. Tom Brady has lost four out of five games for the first time since 2002, and the Buccaneers as a team have looked dreadful since their win in Week Two. Despite all this, the Bucs are still 2-point favorites at home. I may be falling into the trap here, but I think there’s a reason for that. Brady and the Bucs finally end their skid and get back on track with a win over the Ravens.

Brian Martin – Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are struggling team as a whole as of late and are looking to turn things around against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football. Unfortunately, Baltimore is a better team than their 4-3 record would suggest, and someone who is built to win games just like this by relying on Lamar Jackson’s arm/mobility and their stout defense. Because of that, I’m going with the Ravens.

Tony Catalina – The Buccaneers struggles are well documented. They aren’t what we are accustomed to seeing from a Tom Brady led team. The Ravens are probably a team playing better right now and that is why I want to lean Baltimore in this one but I’ve learned to not pick against Brady with his back against the wall, give me the Bucs.

RJ Ochoa – Tampa Bay is in such a weird spot. I feel strange not implicitly trusting Tom Brady and Co., but they are really burning through the benefit of the doubt. Baltimore feels like the more stable team at the moment and having Lamar Jackson makes picking them feel even easier. Give me the Ravens.

Tom Ryle – After MNF, I find myself questioning everything. For tonight, let’s just say I question whether Tom Brady still has it in him. It should be a game the Ravens can control and win. So I pick Baltimore over Tampa Bay. With zero confidence I’m right.