Los Angeles Rams (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS)
Week 3 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, September 25, 2016 at 4:05PM EST
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
TV: Fox
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Betting Odds: LA +5/TB -5
Over/Under Total: 42
The Los Angeles Rams come into Raymond James Stadium to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week three NFC action. The Rams and Bucs are both 1-1 and looking to get their seasons pointed in the right direction with a win on Sunday. The Rams were able to open at home successfully, with a 9-3 win over Seattle. Following a shutout loss to San Francisco in their season opener, it was an important step forward for the Rams, though issues certainly still exist. Tampa was excellent in their week one performance, a road win over the Falcons. But in week two at Arizona, they took a 40-7 beating at the hands of the Cardinals.
The Bucs were in a tough spot on Sunday against a Cardinals team eager to not fall to 0-2, as they are a leading NFC contender. They caught the full brunt of the Arizona offense, while their own offense was completely off-key, with a lone touchdown on the afternoon, five turnovers, and one lousy trip to the Cardinals' red zone. The Buccaneers will need to recoup and at home against a team struggling to put up points, they could be in a good spot to go to 2-1.
After a brilliant week one performance that helped Tampa get the big road win in Atlanta, Jameis Winston had a rough game on Sunday in week two, namely with the four picks, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Winston did pass for 243 yards, but it took 52 attempts to make it happen. With 76 offensive plays, they scored 7 points. Mike Evans caught a TD, but he and Winston were mostly out-of-tune in week 2. And after running for over 1400 yards in 2015, Doug Martin has been quiet and had only 7 carries on Sunday before leaving with a hamstring issue that will have him out until October. In his absence, it comes down to Charles Sims and Jacquizz Rodgers. They have a lot of big-time talent on this offense. It just doesn't always materialize into points. And they're facing another good defense this week.
Naturally when a team scores 40 points on you, it doesn't reflect well on the defense. That's 64 points in two games and the Tampa 'D" could be better. Carson Palmer was over 300 on Sunday with three TD passes. But after giving up almost nothing on the ground against Atlanta, they were good against the run on Sunday, with Arizona getting 3.5 yards per carry. In two games, however, they have struggled aerially. They need to make more plays, having yet to secure a turnover in two games. Against a Rams offense struggling to create a positive development, this could be a game where we see the Tampa defense perform better.
The Rams may have been able to get through last week's grind with a win, but the offense hasn't been of much help. They were shut out on the road against San Francisco in week one, before throwing up three field goals worth of production in week two. If you said the Rams would score 9 combined points in their first two games and somehow be 1-1, it would be OK. Still, they need to figure something out moving forward. The defense was still great in week two and as Seattle looked to win the game late and got inside the L.A. 30, they looked like they might have a chance, but Alec Ogletree recovered a fumble and sewed up the win.
Rams' QB Case Keenum wasn't terrible in week two, nor was he terribly productive. Penalties were handed down regularly on both sides, killing a lot of offensive momentum. The Rams never got into the red zone. Against Tampa, can their offense come together? This was supposed to be the season Todd Gurley morphed into the league's top back and with 98 yards on 36 carries, he isn't showing it so far. Expecting him to play like that all season would be a miscalculation; therefore the Rams offense should get better. Their receiver crew might be a pretty miserable group, but they need to get better and quickly.
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The Rams defense will be depended on heavily from here on out. They should be able to give the Bucs some problems, Up-front, Aaron Donald is a full-fledged monster with Robert Quinn a premier pass-rusher. They got to Russell Wilson five times and had him in peril throughout. Ogletree is a menace in the middle, while the secondary is rounding into shape, benefitting from the stellar play up-front. And they'd be even better if the offense could start providing some support, something that hasn't occurred through the first two games. And with no turnovers on defense, the Rams defense needs to be more of a playmaking one.
I think some things will change in this game. The Rams' offense should be able to uncoil to some extent, while Tampa should be able to make some progress offensively at home, even against this defense. When both teams are coming off a combined 16 points the previous week, the tendency is to predict a low-scoring game. I don't see it being all that low-scoring. I'm going over on the Rams-Bucs.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on over 42 points in the Rams vs. Buccaneers game. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today by signing up and betting the Rams-Bucs game at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 100% sign-up bonus!
