9/26/21 NFL BUCCANEERS VS RAMS

9/26/21 NFL BUCCANEERS VS RAMS

TAMPA BAY @ LOS ANGELES (TB -1.5, 55.5) - LOSS

Could this be a preview of the NFC championship later this season? It’s certainly possible with the way both teams have started the 2021 season. Defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay has looked virtually unstoppable on offense averaging close to 40 points per game. The Rams are equally as entertaining on offense with their new quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Stafford has thrown for 599 yards and five touchdowns so far as the Rams have scored 30.5 points per game. The defense is once again among the best in the league though the Rams did bend at times last week in their 27-24 win over the Colts.
What’s interesting in this matchup is the point spread. The line opened with the Rams as a 1.5-point favorite prompting tons of wagers on an underdog Tampa Bay. The line has now shifted to the Bucs, who are now 1.5-point favorites. The line may continue to move right up until kickoff.
The Bucs have covered in four of their last five games. That includes last year’s Super Bowl and also the season opener against Dallas, the only game in those last five in which Tampa Bay did not cover the spread. The Bucs haven’t been so good at covering the spread against the Rams doing so only once the last eight times the two teams have played. In fact, Tampa Bay hasn’t been very good against the Rams at all. The Rams have won six of the last seven games between the two teams.
The Rams won last year beating Tampa Bay 27-24 at home in Raymond James Stadium. The Bucs only win since 2012 was in 2019, pre-Tom Brady. Tampa Bay is a bit of a different team these days.
One thing they do very well is score. That is reflected in Sunday’s game total which is currently 55. The addition of Stafford to the Rams offense makes them more of a threat to score as well further contributing to the big total for this game.
Each of Tampa Bay’s last four games has had a posted total of 52 or higher. The Over has hit in three of those games. The only Under was the Super Bowl when the Bucs defense manhandled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The Over has hit in six of Tampa Bay’s last nine games and in four of the last five Rams’ games. The Over is also 4-1 in the last five Bucs-Rams games.