Who will stay undefeated: Brady or Stafford?
The top game in Game Week 3 is undoubtedly on Sunday in Los Angeles. There, the Rams welcome the reigning champions from Tampa and besides a lot of points, we also expect an exchange of blows between the two quarterbacks.
With Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford, two captains are facing each other who are considered two of the best in the league. With Brady, this has been clear for a long time anyway, but Stafford has also proven so far this season that he can do it with a top team.
Until last season Stafford was always a bit ridiculed, because he “only” put up his stats with the Lions. But also this season with the Rams he has a passer rating of 127.0 and is one of the top 3 starting quarterbacks.
Because both teams also have a top defence, we expect a battle of equals in which the form of the day will be decisive. Because LA is playing at home and the odds on them are slightly higher, we recommend betting on Los Angeles for Rams vs. Bucs.
Kickoff for the top game of NFL Week 3 is Sunday at 10:25 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on both DAZN’s RedZone and ProSieben Maxx.
United States Los Angeles Rams – Statistics & current form
The Rams may have been a secret favourite before the season, but now the word secret has become much smaller in the process. Only the Buccaneers and the Chiefs are ahead of them in the odds on a Super Bowl triumph.
They will now face the Bucs in NFL Week 3, the first time the Rams have faced a tough opponent this season. By the way: This is the start of a three-week hammer tour followed by duels with the Cardinals and Seahawks.
Are the Rams a championship team yet?
These weeks will show how “real” the Rams really are this year. The matchup with the Bucs should actually suit them, and not just because they have won six of the past seven duels.
LA has a much easier time against quarterbacks who operate mainly from the pocket than against typical mobile quarterbacks In the preseason, they managed two interceptions against Tom Brady, both by Jordan Fuller.
He and the rest of the defence will be hot to repeat last year’s performance. They will also be playing at home in 2021. In 2020, they still had to steal success from Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.
Question marks behind Henderson
The Rams have all of their key players available for Sunday, with only running back Henderson remaining a bit of a question mark. However, we are sure that he will be able to play. They also have an excellent backup at this position in Sony Michel.
With Woods, Kupp or Higbee, LA definitely has enough weapons to be dangerous for Tampa. With that said, for Rams vs Buccaneers, our prediction is a close game where the Rams could get the better end of the deal – as they did in 2020.
Key Players:
QB: Matthew Stafford
– RB: Darrell Henderson
– WR: Robert Woods
– WR: Cooper Kupp
– K: Matt Gay
United States Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Statistics & Current form
The Bucs are picking up right where they left off in the preseason. They’re winning the close games like they did on Game Day 1 against Dallas, as well as the less close ones like they did last Sunday against Atlanta. But does that mean that everything is already going well?
No, because their defence in particular is not yet on the same level as last season. With a counterpoint average of 27.0, they are currently only the 22nd-best defence in the NFL. The Rams allow exactly eight points less per game in comparison.
Weaknesses on defense could make or break
This is also exactly the point where we see them slightly behind against Los Angeles on Sunday, and it also affects our favourite status. Even though the Bucs feature the best offense to date, we still see this defensive vulnerability as serious
It worked out just fine against Dallas with a Succop field goal as the clock expired, but the Rams are a step above the Cowboys. Their three lost fumbles so far this season don’t bode well for them either.
Bucs not the favourites
So the reigning champions are not considered the favourites for us on Sunday. Since the oddsmakers see it differently, we get great value for betting on the Rams, which we should also take advantage of.
For Los Angeles against Tampa Bay, the odds per Rams are set at up to 2.12. That’s a value we’re unlikely to get for LA anytime soon this season – especially in a home game.
Key Players:
– QB: Tom Brady
– RB: Ronald Jones
– WR: Mike Evans
– TE: Rob Gronkowski
– K: Ryan Succop
Los Angeles Rams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Of the last seven head-to-head matchups, six have gone to the Rams That alone proves that the Bucs suit them in terms of style of play. The arrival of Tom Brady didn’t change that much. After all, even he and his franchise lost to LA last year.
The Rams’ strong secondary in particular could prove to be an obstacle for Brady and the Rams, as they already collected two passes from him in 2020. Another interception or two on Sunday would therefore not surprise us.
We certainly won’t be calling Tampa underdogs too often this season, but we will in LA. Thus, the good odds on Sean McVay’s team are to be favoured in Rams vs. Bucs.
United States Los Angeles Rams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers United States Tip
The direct comparison clearly favours LA and the matchup also favours them, at least on paper. For this, their odds of consistently over 2.00 points are nevertheless enormously high.
We take advantage of this in LA vs. Tampa with a tip on the home team. For those who want to take a little more risk, even a combination with over-points is an option, as we expect more of a high-scoring game on Sunday.
However, pure over-point bets are also a great alternative For example, in Bucs games so far this season, they are scoring a whopping 66.5 total points. The 55.5 should be easily achieved.
