A battle between division leaders is featured in the Week 12 Sunday Night Football matchup when the NFC West’s Los Angeles Rams host the NFC South’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rams are a 7-point favorite in NFL betting odds to win a sixth straight game. The contest kicks at 8:20 p.m. ET on November 23 from SoFi Stadium and will be televised on NBC.
Buccaneers at Rams Preview
Just a month ago the Bucs were among the favorites in the NFC boasting a 5-2 record with back-to-back wins over other NFC contenders Seattle and San Francisco. Things can change suddenly in the NFL and the Bucs found out losing two straight and three of their last four while going 1-3 ATS. Despite their recent slump the Bucs still hold a half game lead over Carolina.
Part of the problem has been on defense where the Bucs gave up 72 points in losses to New England and Buffalo. They had no answer for Josh Allen, who accounted for six TDs in the Bills 44-32 win last week. The Bucs have gone OVER the total in two straight games and in six of their last eight contests.
- The 44 points scored by Buffalo were the most allowed by Tampa since the Bears scored 48 during the 2018 season.
- The Bucs have the 26th ranked red zone defense allowing opponents to score on 64 percent of their trips.
- Baker Mayfield is having another strong season throwing for 2,365 yards and 17 TDs with only 3 interceptions.
- Tampa’s 22nd ranked ground game got a boost last week from Sean Tucker, who rushed for 106 of the team's 202 yards and scored twice.
The Rams are trying not to fall into the Tampa trap. The Bucs helped LA earlier in the year beating Seattle and SF giving them the edge in the division. The Rams also helped themselves by breaking a tie with the Seahawks and taking sole possession of first place with their 21-19 win last Sunday, though they failed to cover the spread for the first time in five games.
Matthew Stafford is getting MVP recognition for his stellar play, but LA’s defense has been the reason for their success. They’ve allowed 20 points or less in seven games and lead the NFC allowing just 17.2 points per game. The Rams intercepted Sam Darnold four times last week and have the second-best turnover margin in the NFL at plus-10.
- The Rams have gone two straight games without a sack and still rank 10th in the NFL with 27.
- The defense has 8 takeaways in the last three games with a turnover margin of plus-7 in that span.
- Stafford leads the NFL with 27 TD passes and has been picked just twice. During the current 5-game winning streak he has 16 TD passes and zero interceptions.
- LA is one of the most profitable teams in the NFL going 7-3 against the NFL betting line this season.
Buccaneers at Rams Predictions
With the Bucs banged up, the line is larger than it normally would be. Tampa is expected to be without several key players, including Mike Evans, Bucky Irving and Hasson Reddick. The Rams lost to beat up Niners squad in Week 5 but avenged that setback with a big win in Week 10. LA won’t take its opponent lightly and covering the spread is a good bet.
Buccaneers at Rams Betting Tips
- The Rams hit the board as a 7-point home favorite with a moneyline price of -313.
- LA is 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS in their last eight home games when favored by at least 7-points.
- Tampa is 2-3 SU and ATS when catching points on the closing line.
- The Bucs are +256 on the moneyline.
- The total opened at 49.
- The UNDER is 3-1-1 in LA’s five home games and 4-2 in Tampa’s six road outings.
Buccaneers at Rams Head to Head and Key Stats
- Tampa won the most recent matchup 16-13 during the 2022 season ending a string of three straight losses.
- The Rams have dominated the series recently winning eight of the last 10 matchups and going 8-1-1 ATS.
- The teams had gone OVER the total in six straight games before the most recent contest.
- In 3 starts against the Bucs as LA’s QB, Stafford is 2-1 and has thrown for 874 yards and 7 TDs without being intercepted.
