The Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4) at Raymond James Stadium, kicking off at 1:00 PM ET Sunday, Oct 18, on CBS. The game opened with Tampa Bay getting 3 on Oct 13 at 07:45 UTC. As of Oct 18 at 11:32 UTC the consensus is Buccaneers +2.5, a half-point move toward Pittsburgh that took the number off the key number 3. A Steelers win by exactly a field goal now beats the number instead of pushing.
The total moved more. It opened at 40.5 (Oct 13, 07:45 UTC) and is now 38.5, down 2 points. No bets-versus-money split was published free.
The ratings see two nearly identical teams. Play-by-play efficiency has Pittsburgh at −6.6 and Tampa Bay at −6.8. Add 1.75 points of home field and the projection is Tampa Bay by 1.6, which is 4.1 points away from a number that has the Buccaneers getting 2.5.
The quarterback situation is not new. Baker Mayfield has been out since Week 3 with a thumb injury, and Jalon Daniels makes his third straight start, so that change is already reflected in the number and no new adjustment applies.
The trench metrics conflict, so they do not point either way. The injuries elsewhere are in the secondaries. Pittsburgh is without safety DeShon Elliott, with cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Jamel Dean questionable. Tampa Bay is without safety Antoine Winfield Jr., with cornerback Benjamin Morrison doubtful. Pittsburgh is also without receivers Ben Skowronek and Roman Wilson, and Tampa Bay without receiver David Sills. No point figure was found for those absences.
The splits are stark: Pittsburgh is 3-0 at home and 0-2 on the road, and Tampa Bay is 0-3 at home. Scoring is close, 111 scored and 109 allowed for the Steelers, 100 and 112 for the Buccaneers. Two modest offenses and a falling total line up. Here is how our five handicappers graded it.
Buccaneers 20, Steelers 18, Buccaneers cover the 2.5, Under 38.5.