NFL Odds Week 3: Patriots are 9-point favorites against Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not exactly favored to win Sunday's matchup, which is getting very close to a must-win situation for the beleaguered team: the New England Patriots are nine-point favorites to win the game, which is pretty hefty. Disastrous, would be another word you could use.

According to Wizard of Odds, that translates to a 20.8% chance of winning the game. So, the Bucs now have a 21% chance of turning around their season before it really starts spiraling out of control. If the Buccaneers do drop to 0-3, their chances of making the playoffs let alone doing some damage once there would be minuscule.

A bigger problem may be the fact that Greg Schiano may start losing the team if his fairly strict rules don't start to lead to wins. Disgruntled players have started coming out of the wood works with stories about their unhappiness appearing left and right. Once a season really starts going downhill, it can be very tough to turn it back around - something we all saw in 2011.

Hopefully the Bucs can avoid that scenario by winning against the Patriots, which is actually fairly plausible. The Patriots offense has struggled in two consecutive weeks, while the Bucs' defense has looked stellar aside from two penalties. The Patriots are struggling with multiple injuries, while the Bucs appear to be getting a little healthier. There are positives to look forward to.

The Bucs will just have to show it on the field on Sunday.

More from Bucs Nation:

• Dashon Goldson fined $100,000 for hit on Darren Sproles
• Dashon Goldson Suspension: Buccaneers safety wins appeal, plays vs Patriots
• Doug Martin downplays Buccaneers drama, says players-only meeting was to air concerns
• Greg Schiano is not sabotaging Josh Freeman so he can start Mike Glennon
• Daily Bucs Links: Revis meets Schiano to clear the air