NFL Saturday Betting Odds: Bucs Heavy Favorites Over Lions

• The Miami Dolphins (-150) are narrow moneyline favorites over the Las Vegas Raiders (+130 odds).
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Detroit Lions have the highest point total of three NFL games on Saturday at 54.
• The Arizona Cardinals are favored to beat the San Francisco 49ers by 4.5 points on Saturday.

LAS VEGAS — NFL bettors won’t have to wait until Sunday to place their bets during the holiday season as there is a game on Christmas Day game and a trio of contests on Saturday to take action on.

Each of the three NFL games on the Saturday slate will impact have an impact on the playoff race as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to clinch a playoff spot, the Arizona Cardinals are holding on to the final playoff spot in the NFC, and the Miami Dolphins will need to beat the Las Vegas Raiders to keep their lead over the Baltimore Ravens for the No. 7 seed.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are favored coming into this game and will need a win if they’re going to keep their game lead over the Arizona Cardinals. With a lot to play for, they’re still in the running for the NFC South title in Tom Brady’s first season under center.

The Lions have been playing better since firing head coach Matt Patricia but they’ll have to play their best ball of the year to pull off the upset.

The Buccaneers are 7-7 ATS this season so they’re no sure thing to cover but take them to cover the spread here as the Lions defense surrenders the most points per game in the NFL (31.1). The over on the 54-point total is also another smart bet here especially since the Lions offense has come on strong lately and opposing offenses can easily score points on them.

The Arizona Cardinals haven’t lived up to their preseason hype but they remain in the playoff hunt. A win against NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers would help the Cardinals cling to the seventh and final spot in the postseason.

The 49ers are a team that has been plagued with injuries all season and this is a game the Cardinals should win.

The Cardinals did beat the 49ers when these teams played in Week 1 and the current 49ers don’t look anything like that team. If thinking of betting on the 49ers to cover keep in mind that they’re 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games against Arizona. The Cardinals are 7-7 ATS and this will likely be the game that puts them over .500.

The over on the 49-point total is a really strong play here as the last five home games for the Cardinals have all seen the over hit.

The Las Vegas Raiders host the Miami Dolphins with their slim playoff hopes on the line. The Dolphins need a win here to hold off the surging Baltimore Ravens for the AFC’s seventh seed.

The Raiders played well last week with Marcus Mariota under center and it’s not known if Derek Carr will be available.

The Dolphins are favored by three points as the road team and bettors should lean on them to cover as they’ve posted an 11-3 record ATS this season.

The Raiders haven’t been as strong ATS with a 7-7 record.

This matchup does have the potential to end up in a shootout but the Dolphins' defense will be the biggest detriment to that as they’ve been good this season. The juice on the Miami covering the three-point spread is (-105) which is slightly better than the -150 moneyline odds at online sportsbooks.

Avoid taking the Raiders ATS here as they’re 1-5 ATS in their last six games. If betting on a Raiders upset take the +130 SU odds on them to win at home.