Sunday’s primetime game will feature a pair of division leaders looking to maintain their momentum when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4) head west to take on the Los Angeles Rams (8-2).
The Buccaneers were 5-1 before losing games against the Lions, Patriots, and Bills over the past month. Tampa Bay’s lone win during that span was against the Saints, a 23-3 thrashing of their divisional rivals.
Los Angeles is trending in the opposite direction. The Rams have won five straight games, including a 42-26 defeat of the 49ers in a rematch of an earlier-season game. The Rams have won convincingly in four of those matchups, claiming double-figure margins of victory.
Can the Buccaneers reverse their fortunes on Sunday against the homesteading Rams? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for this primetime affair.
Veteran Matthew Stafford may be having his best season at 37 years old. The 17-year player has completed 66 percent of his passes for 2,557 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only two interceptions.
Tampa’s defense is giving up significant yards through the air. The Buccaneers have surrendered over 260 passing yards in five of their past six outings, including last week’s 317-yard performance by Josh Allen. Expect Stafford to have a strong game on Sunday, covering his prop bet total.
Bettors may not have seen Sean Tucker coming. The 5-foot-10 runner notched 106 rushing yards last week against Buffalo, scoring three total times against the Bills. It was his strongest effort to date as he previously had recorded only 129 rushing yards on 32 carries entering that contest.
The Rams have yielded just 76.9 rushing yards to running backs this season, a figure among the league’s top 10. That doesn’t bode well for Tucker. Expect him to finish below his rushing prop total on Sunday night.
Stafford’s top target is Puka Nacua. The third-year wide receiver is fourth in the league with 850 receiving yards, catching the third-most receptions in the NFL with 73 thus far. He’s nearing his second 1,000-yard receiving season for the Rams with seven games left on the schedule.
As noted before, Tampa struggles against the pass. In six straight games, a wide receiver has notched at least 75 yards through the air. Nacua will make it seven straight outings as he covers his player prop bet total.
Defense hasn’t been a strong suit for the Bucs this season. Tampa Bay has allowed 25 points per contest this year, including 72 points over the past two games. Los Angeles’ defense has been better, but both the 49ers and Seahawks scored at least 19 points against the Rams in back-to-back weeks.
That makes the over on the total combined points scored the best bet for Sunday’s game. As for the contest, I believe the Buccaneers will pull off the upset and end the Rams’ winning streak at five games.