Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds And Game Pick (2020)
The Los Angeles Rams are tied for first place in the NFC West with a 6-3 record. They have everything to play for with a chance to regain the top spot in the NFC after tumbling last season. The Rams won the NFC in the 2018 season and seemed to have a bright future. Last season, the Rams completely missed the playoffs. This season is a redemption tour, a chance for the Rams to reclaim their identity as a great team. Now they face the kind of test a quality team must pass: a Monday Night Football battle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady. It’s an NFC showdown with playoff implications on both sides, exactly the kind of prime-time game football fans expect to see in the latter part of the NFL season.
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Details
- Opening Line: Bucs -3
- Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Start Time: 8:15 PM ET (Monday Night Football)
- Last Meeting: Rams 40 vs. Buccaneers 55 (9/29/19)
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LAR
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+4
-110
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o48
-110
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+170
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| VIEW PICKS |
TB
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-4
-110
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u48
-110
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-207
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View consensus picks and notes from top betting experts for the Rams vs. Buccaneers >>
Overview
The Rams played their best defensive game of the season this past Sunday, holding the Seattle Seahawks to just 16 points. The Seahawks entered the game averaging 34 points, best in the NFL, and the Rams held them 18 points below that average. Moreover, two of the Seahawks’ scores were a 61-yard field goal and then a last-minute field goal due to a lack of time, when Seattle was desperately trying to mount a comeback. Seattle managed just one touchdown against the Rams’ defense, which took the ball away from Russell Wilson multiple times and completely frustrated the Seahawks’ star quarterback. Leonard Floyd and other Rams pass rushers hounded Wilson, with Floyd getting multiple sacks and easily outplaying Seattle’s offensive line. This was the dominant defensive performance which marked the Rams at their best in their 2018 Super Bowl season. If they can get more of this, they will have a chance to do big things in January of 2021, even with their offensive limitations.
The Rams’ offense has been limited for most of this season by Jared Goff’s lack of accuracy on downfield passes. The mediocrity of Goff – who has not been nearly as good as his 2018 Super Bowl campaign – has held back Los Angeles. Now, the Rams are dealing with another huge challenge: They won’t have star offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth. The veteran, whose arrival from the Cincinnati Bengals massively upgraded the Rams’ front, is out for six to eight weeks with an injury suffered against the Seahawks. The Rams will have to make considerable adjustments to maintain the standard of play which can enable Goff to have a comfortable, clean pocket.
The Rams’ offensive limitations didn’t hurt them against the Seahawks, but they might against the Bucs. Tom Brady led Tampa Bay to a 46-point explosion, one week after the Sunday Night Football no-show against the New Orleans Saints. The reality with the Bucs is that the Saints are a terrible matchup for them, but otherwise, the Bucs have lost only one game to a non-Saints team this year. That loss came to the Chicago Bears. Brady has been very good for most of the 2020 NFL season. When he has been great, he has remained one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. However, when he hasn’t been great, his level of play has been poor. The Rams’ pass rush figures to give Brady a test, but if his offensive line can be moderately good – enough to play the Rams’ front four to a draw – that should be good enough for Brady to find Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski, and other elite pass catchers.
Trends
- The Rams are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog.
- The Bucs are 5-1 ATS in their last six games after accumulating more than 350 yards in the previous game.
- The Bucs are 4-1 ATS in their last five games after allowing fewer than 150 yards passing in the previous game.
Bottom Line
The Whitworth injury figures to significantly limit what the Rams’ offense is likely to do. Jared Goff versus Tom Brady is not an equal matchup; Brady is clearly better. The Rams need Whitworth to balance out that equation. Ultimately, Los Angeles lacks an offense that can match Brady and the Bucs punch for punch.
Pick: Buccaneers -4
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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.