The Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers both cruised in the wild-card round with lopsided victories over the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles, punching their tickets to the divisional round. Now, they’ll square off for the second time this season, a rematch of their Week 3 meeting and their third showdown in the last two seasons. Kickoff in this marquee playoff matchup will be on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET from Raymond James Stadium. Below, we look at the Rams vs. Buccaneers odds and lines; check back for our NFL picks and predictions.
After collapsing in Week 18 by blowing a 17-point lead in their 27-24 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams bounced back in a big way against the Cardinals.
They steamrolled their division rival, winning 34-11 at home Monday night in what was one of the best defensive performances in the first half you’ll ever see in a playoff game.
The Cardinals gained 40 yards and had three first downs in the first 30 minutes, struggling to form any sort of offensive production.
QB Matthew Stafford played mistake-free football with 202 yards and 2 touchdown passes on only 17 attempts, keeping the offense in a rhythm and allowing RB Cam Akers and RB Sony Michel to carry the load on the ground.
Also see: All Divisional Round odds and lines
The Buccaneers won almost as easily in the wild-card round, crushing the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-15. Despite not having RB Leonard Fournette or WR Chris Godwin, the Bucs still gained 349 yards on offense, including 106 yards on the ground.
Most importantly, they shut down the Eagles’ top-ranked rushing offense, allowing just 95 yards on the ground – 34 of which came on one run by Philadelphia RB Boston Scott.
QB Tom Brady completed 29 of 37 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns, with WR Mike Evans catching nine of those completions for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Rams at Buccaneers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Rams +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Buccaneers -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Rams +2.5, +102 (bet $100 to win $102) | Buccaneers -2.5, -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Over/Under (O/U): 48.5, O: -112 (bet $112 to win $100) | U: -108 (bet $108 to win $100)
Also see: Betting 101
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2021 betting stats:
- ML: Rams 13-5 | Buccaneers 14-4
- ATS: Rams 9-9 | Buccaneers 10-8
- O/U: Rams 9-8-1 | Buccaneers 9-9
Rams at Buccaneers head-to-head
Since Brady joined the Buccaneers, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay have squared off twice. The Rams won both games, beating the Bucs 27-24 in 2020 and 34-24 in Week 3 of this season.
All-time, the Rams hold a comfortable series lead, going 18-9 against the Buccaneers dating back to 1977. They’ve won seven of the last eight meetings, as well.
When it comes to the playoffs, the Rams and Buccaneers have met twice. The Rams won both games, which were each low-scoring affairs: 9-0 in the 1979 playoffs and 11-6 in the 1999 playoffs. Each time the Rams faced the Bucs in the postseason, they went on to reach the Super Bowl.
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