Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host Los Angeles Rams in the NFL Quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon. The hosts look forward to staying in the Super Bowl race and defending the Lombardi trophy. The away side put a powerful display in the wild-card game, which they want to repeat.
Tampa Bay has played very well lately, and they didn’t have much trouble in the first playoffs round. However, a much tougher task is ahead of them, and they’ll rely on the home-field advantage. On the other hand, Los Angeles has been running hot lately, and they hope to continue their successful streak.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Can they get closer to defending the trophy?
The Buccaneers are on a four-game winning streak, and they entered the playoffs from the NFC South top spot. With a 13-4 record, they didn’t have much trouble winning the division, but they missed the opportunity to clinch the first seed. Tampa Bay has been pretty productive lately, scoring 28+ points on the previous three occasions. The Bucs faced Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card game, celebrating a comfortable 31-15 victory. Everything was clear already after three periods when Tampa Bay secured a 31-0 advantage.
Tom Brady led them to the victory by passing for 271 yards on 29-37, with a pair of scores, while he was sacked four times. Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard managed to replace Leonard Fournette in the ground game, combining for 97 rushing yards and each finding the end zone once. Mike Evans led the receiving corps with 117 yards on nine catches and one touchdown reception. The Bucs’ second-best receiver generated 1,035 yards and 14 scores during the regular season. On defense, Mike Edwards had nine total tackles, while Antoine Winfield Jr. and Steve McLendon logged a sack each.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Mike Evans, Tyler Johnson, Jaelon Darden, Rob Gronkowski, Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet, Robert Hainsey, Alex Cappa, Aaron Stinnie
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea, William Gholston, Jason Pierre-Paul, Devin White, Kevin Minter, Shaquil Barrett, Jamel Dean, Antoine Winfield Jr., Jordan Whitehead, Carlton Davis
Quarter Back: Tom Brady
Kicker: Ryan Succop
with best odds
Los Angeles Rams – Are they capable of eliminating the defending champions?
The Rams enjoy an excellent run, except for the overtime loss against the 49ers in the closing round of the regular season. However, that defeat wasn’t too painful for them, as they topped the NFC West anyways with a 12-5 record. Los Angeles managed to celebrate six times on the previous seven occasions, including a confident 34-11 victory over the Cardinals in the wild-card match. The Rams’ disciplined defense held Arizona to only 183 yards in the offense, forcing them to make two turnovers.
Matthew Stafford led them to the victory by throwing for 202 yards on 13-17 and finding the end zone twice. On the other hand, the opponent’s defenders sacked him once. Sony Michel and Cam Akers were good in the rushing department, gaining 55+ yards each. Cooper Kupp led the receiving department with 61 yards and a touchdown reception, while Odell Beckham Jr. generated 54 receiving yards and a score. Defensively, A’Shawn Robinson topped the charts with seven total tackles, while Von Miller managed to sack the rival’s QB once.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Sony Michel, Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., Van Jefferson, Tyler Higbee, Joe Noteboom, David Edwards, Brian Allen, Austin Corbett, Rob Havenstein
Expected Line-Up (Defense): A’Shawn Robinson, Greg Gaines, Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Travin Howard, Christian Rozeboom, Von Miller, Darious Williams, Nick Scott, Terrell Burgess, Jalen Ramsey
Quarter Back: Matthew Stafford
Kicker: Matt Gay
Expert Pick #1 – Los Angeles Rams +3 @-120
These two sides had already met this season when the Rams celebrated a 34-24 win, however, that was back in September. Nevertheless, Tampa Bay doesn’t look very sharp in the front line, and they have troubles in the rushing department, followed by a few questionable players. Los Angeles’s defense might hold the key for this game, and I expect a very close battle. I’ll take the Rams ATS as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 48.5 @-110
The Bucs need a healthy offense from the very start of the match if they want to avoid trouble later in the game. On the other hand, Los Angeles has been pretty productive lately, and the Over cashed eight times in their last nine matches as the road dog. Give me the Over as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Rams Over 23.5 @+100
The Rams scored more than 23 points three times in their latest four outings, and a powerful offensive display against the Cardinals might see them repeating this record. The plus money odds on this pick seem pretty tempting, and I’ll take it as the second alternative.
