Thursday, 4 a.m.
If you’re measuring disappointment, you’d have to agree the Buffalo Bills are a bigger one than the Tampa Bay Bucs.
The Bills, an early Super Bowl favorite, have lost three times.
The Bucs, an early NFC South contender, have lost three times.
The Bills have lost to the Jets, to the Jags, to the Patriots. The Bucs have lost to Eagles, to the Lions, to the Falcons.
In other words, there is enough ugly to go around.
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So far this season, the Bills are one of the leading underachievers of the league. The Bucs? At 3-3, they’re about where people expected them to be.
Why, then, does it feel as if the Bucs will be a massive underdog in tonight’s game?
Well, expectations for one thing. Even after a mediocre start, the world is waiting for the Bills to wake up and fight for the AFC East. Josh Allen is still a talented quarterback. Stefan Diggs is a challenge to cover, and James Cook is a threat at running back.
The Bucs, meanwhile, have Baker Mayfield, a castoff quarterback they expect to star if they’re going to win. The defense is overrated, the offensive line is shaky, the running game is invisible.
Look, in a weak NFC South, the Bucs still have a shot. But not this week.
Prediction: Buffalo 30, Tampa Bay 14.
In other NFL games:
Atlanta 24, Tennessee 14.
San Francisco 31, Cincinnati 23.
Carolina 20, Houston 17.
New Orleans 27, Indianapolis 17.
Minnesota 20, Green Bay 14.
And in the college games:
Georgia 29, Florida 14.
FSU 30, Wake Forest 10.
UCLA 24, Colorado 20.
Miami 23, Virginia 21.
Tennessee 26, Kentucky 24.