Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction: Struggling Recent Super Bowl Champions Look to Turn Things Around
Normally a showdown between the last two Super Bowl champions would have NFL fans everywhere geeking out with anticipation. But when the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off in Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, it will be a matchup of teams that are sitting in the front seat of the struggle bus. The reigning champs have lost three of their last four while the Bucs, who won the Lombardi Trophy on their own home field just two seasons ago, have lost five of their last six. Oy vey.
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In a much-anticipated West Coast showdown last Sunday, the Rams took it on the chin by a 31-14 count against San Francisco to drop them to 3-4. But in defense of the Rams, their four losses have come against some of the better teams in the league — twice against the 49ers, Dallas, and Buffalo. The bad part is that all four losses have come by double digits.
The Buccaneers (3-5) dropped a 27-22 decision at home vs. the Ravens last Thursday night, marking their third one-score loss out of their five so far this year. This also is Tom Brady's first personal three-game losing streak since 2002. Yep, as if his divorce from Gisele Bündchen wasn't bad enough, right?
Los Angeles (3-4) at Tampa Bay (3-5)
Kickoff: Sunday, Nov. 6, 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Spread: Tampa Bay -3
Tickets: As low as $86 on SITickets.com*
Three Things to Watch
1. Let's start with the obvious; Tom Brady is becoming human
Sure, it has taken 22 seasons, but for the first time in his professional career, the G.O.A.T is at the helm of a team that sits two games under .500. A lot has been made about this being Brady's "worst season ever." But be careful with those assumptions because last we checked, guess who leads the NFL in completions (224) and fewest interceptions thrown (one) and is second in passing yards (2,267 yards)? Yep, TB12. So it's hard to put too much blame on the seven-time Super Bowl winner. The Rams blitz quarterbacks 33 percent of the time but only get pressure on them 23 percent of the time. So you know Aaron Donald and his cohorts are going to look to improve that ratio and increase the heat on Brady this week.
2. Matthew Stafford needs to amp up his game.
Speaking of struggling, Stafford continues to turn the ball over with regularity, tossing eight picks as opposed to just seven touchdowns. Indianapolis' Matt Ryan is the only quarterback who has thrown more picks this season (nine), and he has already been benched. So it's no big surprise that the Rams are 29th in the NFL in turnover margin. The good news is that Stafford will have the services of All-Pro Cooper Kupp even though he tweaked his ankle late last week. He's missed some practice but is expected to be out there on Sunday. Two more things to keep an eye on when the Rams are on offense. First, Tampa's pass rush sustained a big loss with linebacker Shaquil Barrett tearing his Achilles in the last game. And secondly, keep an eye on tight end Tyler Higbee since the Bucs gave up 10 receptions for 114 yards to Raven tight ends in their most recent loss.
3. Could there actually be a running game from either team?
These two offenses are struggling, to say the least. But in particular, one glance at the stat sheet shows a glaring problem that jumps off the page. The Rams and Buccaneers are ranked 31st and 32nd, respectively, in the NFL in rushing offense. Yep, the two worst running games. Los Angeles manages just 68.4 rushing yards per game with the Buccaneers at 61.9. Darrell Henderson Jr. and Leonard Fournette are the top rushers for their respective teams but have just 197 yards and 386 yards on the season while averaging 3.94 and 3.44 yards per carry. But it is worth noting that the Rams' defense, despite giving up 94 yards to Christian McCaffrey last week, is still seventh in the league against the run (105.1 ypg). Meanwhile, Tampa hasn't been as stout, giving up 132.4 yards per game on the ground (24th), and is coming off a game in which Baltimore gashed the Bucs for 231 yards and a robust seven yards per carry. Whichever team gets the running game going has the advantage here.
Final Analysis
Even though this will be a showdown between the last two NFL champions, I can't imagine this is going to be a high-octane shootout with ridiculous entertainment value. The Rams averaged 27.1 points per game in their title year last season but are No. 28 in the NFL entering Week 9 at just 16.9 points per game. The Buccaneers were second in the league in offense last season but have dipped to No. 25 this year, at 18.3 points per game. Even though both offenses are underwhelming, the defenses are pretty good, so look for this one to be bereft of eye-popping highlights. Still, I'll go with Tom the Great and his home-standing Bucs to steal enough bullion on the high seas to win this one.
Prediction: Buccaneers 16, Rams 12
— Written by Eric Sorenson, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. He is a college football, college baseball and college hockey addict... and writer. Follow him on Twitter @Stitch_Head.
*Price as of publication.
