NFL Game Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) vs. Buffalo Bills (6-3)

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Buffalo Bills Logo

Venue & Timing

Location: Highmark Stadium, One Bills Drive, Orchard Park, NY 14127

Kickoff: 1:00 PM ET (10:00 AM PST)

Broadcast: CBS: Ian Eagle, J.J. Watt, Evan Washburn (field reporter)

Weather Update

Forecast: Cloudy skies, 46°F, winds 12–15 mph

Impact: Wind could affect deep passing and kicking, favoring short-to-intermediate routes and strong run games.

Injury Report

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

WR Treylon Burks — questionable (hamstring)

OL depth thin, but starters expected to play

Buffalo Bills:

WR Khalil Shakir — questionable (ankle)

Secondary banged up, with CB rotation uncertain

Player Matchups

Baker Mayfield (TB QB) vs. Josh Allen (BUF QB)

Mayfield: 273 yards, 3 TDs vs. Patriots last week, efficient but turnover-prone.

Allen: 306 yards, 2 TDs vs. Dolphins, but threw 1 INT; remains Buffalo’s offensive engine.

Emeka Egbuka (TB WR) vs. Bills Secondary

Egbuka: 115 yards, 1 TD last week, emerging as Tampa’s top target.

James Cook (BUF RB) vs. Buccaneers Run Defense

Cook: averaging 4.1 yards/carry, key to balancing Buffalo’s attack.

Lavonte David (TB LB) vs. Josh Allen’s mobility

David leads Tampa’s defense in tackles, tasked with containing Allen’s scrambles.

Team Recent Form

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Lost last game vs. Patriots (28–23).

4-1 road record, strong away from home.

Averaging 24.4 PPG, defense allowing 22.9 PPG.

Buffalo Bills:

Lost last game vs. Dolphins (30–13).

4-1 home record, typically strong at Highmark Stadium.

Offense averaging 25.1 PPG, defense allowing 21.8 PPG.

Series History

Bills lead all-time series 8–4.

Last meeting: Bills defeated Buccaneers 24–17 in 2023.

Tampa Bay has not won in Buffalo since 2017.

Betting Trends

Buccaneers: 4-1 ATS on the road, thrive away from home.

Bills: 4-1 SU at home, but just 2-3 ATS in last five.

Over has hit in 6 of 9 Buccaneers games, while Bills games split evenly.

Score Projection: Bills 27 – Buccaneers 24

Summary: This is a heavyweight clash between two 6–3 teams. Buffalo’s home-field advantage and Josh Allen’s playmaking give them the edge, but Tampa Bay’s strong road record and Baker Mayfield’s recent efficiency keep them competitive.

BUCCANEERS NOTES:

• QB BAKER MAYFIELD passed for 273 yards, 3 TDs & 0 INT for a 106.1 rating last week, his 10th career game with 3+ pass TD & 0 INT. Has pass TD in 8 of his last 9. Has 90+ passer rating in 6 games this season. • RB SEAN TUCKER had team-high 52 rush yards in Week 10. Aims for 2nd straight with rush TD on road. • RB RACHAAD WHITE aims for 2nd consecutive home game with rush TD. Has 10+ carries & 2+ rec. in last 5. 1 of 9 RBs with 20+ rec., 115+ rec. yards, 75 carries, 2+ rush TDs & 2+ rec. TDs this season. • WR EMEKA EGBUKA (rookie) had team-high 115 rec. yards on 6 rec & TD last week, his 3rd 100+ rec. yard game this season. 1 of 2 players (Jaxon SmithNjigba) with 500+ receiving yards & 5 touchdowns and 2 rec. of 50+ yards this season. • WR TEZ JOHNSON (rookie) had 4 rec. for 42 yards & 2 TDs last week. 1 of 6 rookies to record multiple rec. TDs in a game this season. • TE CADE OTTON had season-high 9 rec. for 82 yards in Week 10. Aims for 6th in row with 40+ rec. yards. • LB LAVONTE DAVID led team with 9 tackles last week. Aims for 6th straight with 6+ tackles. Has TFL in 2 of his past 3 on the road. • LB ANTHONY NELSON had 6 tackles last week. Aims for 5th consecutive game with 4+ tackles. Has sack in 2 of his past 3. • DE ELIJAH ROBERTS (rookie) had 2 tackles, TFL, sack & PD in Week 10, 1 of 3 rookies in the NFL to do so this season. • S TYKEE SMITH had 8 tackles, TFL, INT & PD last week, 1 of 2 safeties (Grant Delpit) to do so in a game this season. Has recorded a PD in past 6 of his past 7. Ranks 1st among all DBs tackles (74) & 2nd among safeties in PDs (9). • S ANTOINE WINFIELD JR aims for 3rd straight with PD. Has 6+ tackles in 3 of his last 4 games.

BILLS NOTES:

• QB JOSH ALLEN passed for 306 yards & 2 TDs for 98.5 rating last week. Has completed 70.3% of his passes this season, 5th best in the NFL. Aims for 8th consecutive game with pass TD. 1 of 5 QBs with 95+ rating in 7+ games this season. Aims for 6th in row at home with 100+ rating. Had 324 pass yards & 2 pass TDs in last meeting. • RB JAMES COOK had team-high 53 rush yards last week. 1 of 2 players (Jonathan Taylor) in NFL with 100+ rush yards in 5 games this season. Has 100+ rush yards in 3 of his last 4 at home. 2nd in league in rush yards (920) & yards per rush (5.5), min. 150 carries, & tied for 5th in rush TDs (7) this season. Aims for 3rd career 1,000 rush yard season. • WR KHALIL SHAKIR led team with 7 rec. for 58 yards in Week 10. Surpassed 2,000 career rec. yards. last week. Has 5+ rec. in 5 of last 6. • WR KEON COLEMAN had 3 rec. for 46 yards & TD last week. Has multiple rec. in every game this season. • TE JACKSON HAWES (rookie) had 2nd rec. TD of the season in Week 10, tied for 2nd most among rookie TEs in league this season. • TE DAWSON KNOX had 7 rec. for 60 yards & TD in last meeting. • DE JOEY BOSA had 4 tackles & 2 TFL last week. Has sack in 2 of his past 3. 1 of 6 with 75+ sacks & 20 FF in the past 10 seasons (2016-25). • S COLE BISHOP had 7 tackles, INT & PD last week. Aims for 5th straight with 6+ tackles. 1 of 3 safeties to have 4+ PDs in a game this season. • S JORDAN POYER had team-high 8 tackles in Week 10. Aims for 3rd in row with 5+ tackles. • LB TERREL BERNARD has 5+ tackles in 5 of his last 6. • CB MAXWELL HAIRSTON (rookie) had 2nd straight game with INT last week. 1 of 6 rookies with 2 INTs this season. • CB CAM LEWIS had 7 tackles, TFL & PD last week.

Game Odds

Tampa Bay Buccaneers                  46.5

Buffalo Bills                                        – 6.5

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Saturday, November 15, 2025