Buccaneers @ Rams: NFL Week 12 Sunday Night Football Odds, Prediction
Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The race for the top seed in the NFC playoffs likely comes down to Tampa Bay in the NFC South, the Los Angeles Rams or Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West, the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East, or the Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. It’s truly all wide open right now.
Obviously, the loser of this game Sunday night would be at a major disadvantage in that regard. The Rams already lose a head-to-head against the Eagles and are yet to play the Lions (Week 15 in Los Angeles). The Buccaneers lose a head-to-head against both the Eagles and Lions thanks to earlier losses. Currently for the NFC’s only first-round bye, L.A. is 7/4 and Tampa Bay 40/1. Philadelphia is the 5/6 leader.
These clubs did meet in the playoffs following the 2021 season and the Rams were 30-27 upset winners in the Divisional Round in Tampa when the Bucs were defending Super Bowl champions. The last regular-season meeting was in November 2022 when the Rams lost, 16-13 in Tampa.
So the Rams haven’t faced the Buccaneers without Tom Brady as Tampa’s QB since September 2019. Current Bucs star QB Baker Mayfield was with the Rams briefly in 2022 when his career was in the toilet. That’s definitely no longer the case.
Los Angeles is 9-1-1 against the spread in the past 10 meetings.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay comes off its second straight loss Sunday, 44-32 in Buffalo as Josh Allen torched the Bucs for six total touchdowns. There were nine total lead changes, the second-most in a game in NFL history with the record at 11. QB Baker Mayfield had a fairly quiet game with 173 passing yards, a TD and a pick (which really changed momentum), although he did rush for a score. Mayfield hadn’t been running of late. Sean Tucker had 19 carries for 106 yards and two rushing TDs along with a receiving TD. He became only the fourth player in franchise history to have two on the ground and one receiving in a game. It was only Tucker’s second career 100-yard game. While the Tampa Bay defence obviously was shredded by Allen, it did force three turnovers and has recorded multiple takeaways in six games this season, tied for the NFL lead. "You score 32 points, you're supposed to win the game," head coach Todd Bowles said. Special teams also was an issue as Buffalo’s Mecole Hardman and Ray Davis combined for kickoff returns of 62, 44, 41 and 44 yards. The Bucs’ lead in the NFC South is now down to a half-game over Carolina. Starting cornerback Jamel Dean did not return Sunday after hurting his hip in the first quarter. The over is 6-2 in the team’s past eight.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams won a huge game for solo first place in the NFC West on Sunday, edging visiting Seattle, 21-19, in a fifth straight win. The Seahawks missed a 61-yard field goal as time expired. Matthew Stafford continued his MVP-calibre season with two more TDs and yet again not throwing an interception. He became the first player in NFL history with at least 22 passing TDs and zero INTs in a seven-game span. The Rams only had 249 total yards of offence but are now 4-0 this year when having less than 300. Thus, the Los Angeles defence was mostly the story Sunday with four picks of Seahawk QB Sam Darnold, the most by the team since Week 16 of the 2022 season. It’s the first time the Rams have started 8-2 since 2018, when they did reach the Super Bowl (but lost), and their plus-100 point differential is their fourth-best in a season this century. Safety Quentin Lake left Sunday in the first half with an elbow injury and did not return. Tight end Tyler Higbee left in the second half with an ankle injury. LA is 4-1 ATS in its past five games.
Score Prediction
Rams 30, Bucs 23
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