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Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Preview

The defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14-4) will continue their pursuit of a repeat Sunday as they take on the Los Angeles Rams (13-5) in an NFC Division Round matchup. The Buccaneers will host this one at Raymond James Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 pm ET.

Last week, the Rams decimated their NFC West rivals, the Arizona Cardinals. When the dust settled, the final score was 34-11.

In the win, Matthew Stafford went 13 for 17 for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 22 yards and another score. Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. brought in the touchdown receptions.

The Buccaneers were also able to sail in the Wild Card round beating the Eagles 31-15.

Tom Brady threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns. His leading receiver, Mike Evans, went for 117 yards and a score. Both Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard added rushing touchdowns as well.

The Buccaneers are slight favorites playing at home. They are -154 to win while the Rams’ moneyline sits at +130. The spread features Los Angeles +3 (-118), and the over/under for total points is 48.5 (-110).

More Odds

Tampa Bay has the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl at this point at +550. The Rams come in fifth at +700 to win it all.

By The Numbers

These have been two of the best offenses in football this season. The Buccaneers rank second in the NFL in scoring averaging 30.1 points per game (33 at home). The Rams rank sixth, averaging 27.4 points.

Defensively, it is again Tampa Bay with the edge. They rank fifth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 20.4 points per game (16.9 at home). The Rams rank ninth, allowing 21.3 points per game.

Rams Look To Keep Rolling Against Tampa Bay

While the Buccaneers might be the favorite, the Rams have owned Tampa Bay as of late. In fact, in their last eight matchups, the Rams are 7-1, both straight up and against the spread. They will look to make that eight out of nine on Sunday.

Leading the way under center for the Rams is veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Rams acquired Stafford last offseason for moments just like this. This season, Stafford threw for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.

His leading receiver, by far, is Cooper Kupp. The 28-year-old hauled in 145 receptions this season for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Along with Kupp, expect Van Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. to get plenty of targets as well.

Defensively, the team is led by Jordan Fuller (113 tackles), Aaron Donald (12.5 sacks), and the duo of Jalen Ramsey and Taylor Rapp, who both have four interceptions apiece.

Tampa Bay Hopes Home Field Advantage Can Give Them The Edge

Anytime a team has to go against Tom Brady and the defending champs, they are in for a long game. When it is at Raymond James Stadium, it just becomes that much tougher. This season, Tampa Bay is 8-1 when playing at home and will look to use that advantage Sunday.

Brady continues to defy his age as he put up another amazing regular season. The 44-year-old threw for 5,316 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions this year.

Missing a couple of wide receivers, including Chris Godwin, Brady will continue to lean on wide receiver Mike Evans (74 receptions, 1,035 yards, 14 touchdowns) and longtime tight end Rob Gronkowski (55 receptions, 802 yards, six touchdowns).

Defensively, the stat leaders for the Buccaneers include Devin White (128 tackles), Shaq Barrett (10 sacks), and Mike Edwards (three interceptions).

Take The Rams And The Points

This one should be a lot of fun. While the Buccaneers are solid at home, their long list of injuries keeps growing longer, and it may eventually catch up with them.

Granted, with Tom Brady under center, the Buccaneers will stay focused; however, the Rams have the weapons on both sides of the ball to disrupt any Buccaneers’ momentum. Regardless, expect this one to be close throughout, possibly even coming down to who has the ball last to determine the winner.

For that reason, the best bet may be to take the points. In this case, that means taking Los Angeles +3.

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