Buccaneers vs. Rams Odds: Bet on the Rams Against the Spread in Week 3
It’s only Tuesday but NFL betting analyst Nick Galaida has already found an NFL Week 3 line he wants to lock in now. Follow along as he previews this NFC showdown and gives you his best bet for the Bucs vs. Rams
Buccaneers vs. Rams Odds
| Buccaneers Odds | +1 (-110) |
| Rams Odds | -1 (-105) |
| Over/Under | 54.5 |
| Date | Sunday, Sept. 26 |
| Time | 4:25 p.m. |
| TV | FOX |
Bucs vs. Rams odds accurate as of Tuesday morning at PointsBet
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Rams will duel in Week 3 of the young NFL season on Sunday afternoon at Sofi Stadium. Considering that these are likely the two best teams in the NFC, it is no surprise to see oddsmakers pricing this game close to a pick’em.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1 (-115)
After dropping 48 points on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, the sentiment from the Buccaneers locker room was unambiguous—we can be better. Tom Brady threw for five touchdowns in the victory, but he also had a strip-sack turnover, missed a couple of deep-balls down the field to open receivers, and had more than one turnover-worthy throw fall incomplete. At one point during the contest, the Buccaneers’ offense totaled negative eight yards on 10 plays. When Head Coach Bruce Arians said in his post game press conference that Tampa Bay “left points out there,” he was not being dramatic. Entering play on Sunday, the Buccaneers have won nine consecutive games, scoring 30 or more points in each contest. Yet, they can and will be better offensively as the season progresses. Even a stout Rams defense is going to struggle to contain Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski.
If there is one area where Tampa Bay continues to be extremely vulnerable, it is in the secondary. In their season opener, the Dallas Cowboys devised a brilliant game plan, featuring a vast array of short, quick throws, which completely neutralized the Buccaneers’ ferocious defensive line. Cornerback Carlton Davis has been sensational through the first two weeks of the campaign, but the rest of the coverage unit has struggled. Jamel Dean was outstanding in his first two NFL seasons, but has been entirely mediocre thus far in 2021. Antoine Winfield Jr. continues to be a liability more often than not. If Dallas was able to draw up a plan of attack to exploit these vulnerabilities, bettors can surely expect Head Coach Sean McVay, one of the most shrewd football minds in the game, to do the same. Per Pro Football Focus, Stafford got the ball out of his hands in 2.1 seconds on average in Week 2, which could be extremely problematic for this Buccaneers defense. Tampa Bay could have difficulty slowing down Matthew Stafford and company on Sunday.
Los Angeles Rams -1 (-105)
Los Angeles easily handled the Chicago Bears to open the year on Sunday Night Football. In Week 2, the final score of 27-24 suggests that they were pushed to the wire by the Indianapolis Colts, but anyone who watched the game can attest to the fact that the outcome was never in doubt. If not for an odd snap on a punt that the Colts returned for a touchdown, the game would have not even been close. Stafford shined yet again in Week 2, notably connecting with Cooper Kupp nine times for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Darrel Henderson’s ankle injury is worth monitoring as the week progresses, but Sony Michel is likely more than capable of picking up extra touches in the event that Henderson is forced to miss Sunday’s game.
After losing Brandon Staley as the team’s defensive coordinator this past off-season, many pundits questioned whether or not we would see the same stifling Rams defense in 2021 that we saw dominate the league last fall. Through two games, Raheem Morris’ has allowed fewer yards and points than Staley’s did through two games last year. Morris’ defense has also gotten to the quarterback more often and secured more takeaways. Of course, this is a small sample size, but by all accounts, Los Angeles is still elite on the defensive side of the ball. Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey are arguably the two best defenders in the game. Troy Reeder has played exceptionally to start the new campaign to solidify a linebacker unit that was thought to be a question mark. Taylor Rapp has continued to show signs of improvement, now in his third year in the NFL. This is not quite the “Legion of Boom” that we saw form in the early 2010s, but this is nonetheless a very complete defense with few areas of vulnerability.
Buccaneers vs. Rams Picks
Arguably the league’s best offense will take on the league’s best defense on Sunday afternoon in this matchup. This is also the only Week 3 battle featuring two undefeated teams. So who will still be undefeated heading into Week 4?
Simply put, the Rams are a bad matchup for the Buccaneers. Los Angeles runs a lot of quick passes, which is kryptonite for Tampa Bay’s defense. Last fall, and thus far in 2021, the Buccaneers have struggled most against offenses that run a lot of quick-developing plays. Expect a big game out of Stafford and for the Rams defense to do enough to come away with a victory at home in what could be an NFC Championship Game preview.
PICK: Rams (-1)
Image Credit: Imagn