The Los Angeles Rams (13-5) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14-4) square off Sunday in an NFC Divisional Round matchup after they both claimed convincing Wild Card victories a week ago. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET from Raymond James Stadium (on NBC). Below, we look at the Rams vs. Buccaneers odds and lines, and make our best NFL picks, predictions and bets.
Los Angeles returns to the Divisional Round for the second season in a row and first with quarterback Matthew Stafford under center. The Rams are the four-seed in the NFC.
During the regular season, the Rams averaged 27.1 points and 386.8 yards of total offense per game. On defense, Los Angeles surrendered 21.9 points and 366.5 yards of total offense to opposing teams.
Stafford completed 13-of-17 passes for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the blowout victory over the Cardinals. Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. each hauled a touchdown score from Stafford and Sony Michel and Cam Akers split carries in the backfield to combine for 113 yards rushing. The Rams defense forced two interceptions and held the Cardinals to only 183 yards of offense.
Los Angeles is 9-9 against the spread and 4-5 ATS on the road. The Rams have an impressive 8-1 record ATS over their previous nine games against Tampa Bay.
Since Tom Brady arrived in Tampa Bay, the Rams and Buccaneers have faced each other twice in two seasons. The Rams have come out on top both times and will enter this game with plenty of confidence. However, defeating the same team twice in one year can be tough — just ask the Packers.
The Buccaneers and Rams have combined to win 12 of 14 since Week 13. Both teams will come into this game knowing that a win will see them host the NFC Championship Game. For the Rams, they also know that a victory here gives them the opportunity to host the next two games, with Super Bowl 56 set to be played in SoFi Stadium.
Tom Brady is now 21-4 at home in the playoffs after the Buccaneers breezed past the Eagles in the wild card round. Tampa Bay is 8-1 in Raymond James Stadium this year, winning those games by an average of 19.3 points. If Tampa Bay can beat the Rams on Sunday, they’ll host the NFC championship game for the first time since 1980. The Bucs opened as 3-point home favorites against the Rams this week, though they did lose in Los Angeles way back in Week 3. To avoid a repeat of that result, Tampa will need to find some balance in its offensive game plan and try to prevent Matthew Stafford from taking the top off of the defense. The Bucs had no problems moving the ball in Los Angeles – they racked up 446 yards, except only 35 of that was on the ground. It was the Tampa defense that gave up 407 yards, with 331 coming through the air.
Rams vs. Buccaneers betting line and game prediction
- Spread: Buccaneers -2.5
- Moneyline: Rams +125; Buccaneers -145
- Total: 48
A big part of playing the Buccaneers is the “mystique” of playing Brady. However, the Rams will have none of that after winning their last two matchups against this team with Brady under center. Additionally, Donald and Miller will be licking their chops at the opportunity to go up against potentially limited versions of Jensen and Wirfs.
Prediction: Rams +3