The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came out of their bye week flat, losing by 10 points to Washington on Sunday. Fortunately for the Bucs, they still hold the lead in the NFC South as both New Orleans and Atlanta also suffered defeats in Week 10. The Bucs will look to preserve that advantage when they host the New York Giants in this week's edition of Monday Night Football. Here's a breakdown of the Giants vs Bucs clash.

New York Giants installed as +12 underdogs

The New York Giants headed into their bye week feeling good about themselves after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders at home in Week 9. The Giants pulled off a 23-16 upset victory over the Raiders to improve their record to 3-6, four games behind leaders Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East standings.

Safety Xavier McKinney starred for the Giants in the Week 9 win, recording two key interceptions, one of which he returned 41 yards for a touchdown. The Giants' defense put the clamps on Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who recorded a QBR of just 23.3.

The Giants will need to produce that same kind of defensive effort in Week 11 when they face the reigning Super Bowl champions. Tom Brady's MVP bid is losing steam, throwing multiple interceptions in each of the Bucs' last two losses. The Giants need to pressure Brady into committing those mistakes for them to record another upset win.

It definitely won't be easy, though, as Tampa Bay has been superb at home this season. The Bucs are a perfect 4-0 at Raymond James Stadium this campaign. The Bucs have scored an average of 40.5 points through their first four home games this season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter Week 11 as -12 favorites

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers crashed to their second straight loss with a 29-19 defeat at the hands of the Washington Football Team in Week 10. The Bucs had no answer for Taylor Heinicke, who completed 26 of 32 passes for 256 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. It was a disappointing result for the Bucs, who have now lost three away games this season.

The Bucs had a terrible start in this contest, with Tom Brady throwing two interceptions in his first six passes. Washington took full advantage, scoring the game's first 13 points and building a 16-6 advantage at the half-time break.

The Bucs sliced the deficit to just four points when Brady connected with Mike Evans for a touchdown with 10:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. Washington responded in stunning fashion, however, engineering a clock-killing 19-play drive that consumed more than 10 minutes of possession and ended with a touchdown run by Antonio Gibson that sealed the fate of the Bucs.

To make matters worse for Tampa Bay, nose tackle Vita Vea suffered a left knee injury in the game's latter stages. Vea has been a vital cog for the Bucs on the defensive end, and Tampa Bay will be hoping that his injury is not season-ending.

Writer's Prediction

Tampa Bay wins and covers the spread.

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