Do the Buccaneers stay the course?

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are moving on to the next chapter in their title defence – and it’s a tough one. Because with the Los Angeles Rams one of the secret favourites comes to Tampa and they have more than convinced in Round 1.

With 34:11 against the Cardinals, the Californians showed what is possible with their star squad, as long as everyone pulls together. Thus, the matchup with the Bucs represents the most high-class duel of this second round.

Although Tampa is the defending champion, we cannot name a big favourite here. A lot will be decided by the form of the day. The only duel of the regular season went to the Rams with 34:24. This should serve as a warning to the Buccaneers.

For Tampa vs. LA, our forecast is a nailbiter in which over 50 points should be scored again. Indeed, the two teams have managed to do so in all of their last five meetings with a high of 95 total points in 2019.

Kickoff of the earlier Sunday game of Playoff Round 2 is Sunday night at 21:00 in Tampa Bay. The game can be watched live on ProSieben and on DAZN.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Statistics & current form

This was already a show of force in the Wild Card round and at times their opponents from Philadelphia looked like a college team trying to compete with an NFL team for once – in vain of course.

Because what Tom Brady and the Bucs delivered in the first three quarters was already reminiscent of the top level of the previous season – offensively as well as defensively. For the second round they will even get reinforcements, because with Leonard Fournette their starting running back will return.

Buccaneers even more variable with Fournette

Even without Leonard Fournette, the Bucs’ running game was one of the factors in their success against the Eagles. With 106 yards they scored only slightly more than their regular season average, but at least Vaughn and Bernard each contributed a rushing touchdown to the win.

With Fournette now in place, their running game should improve even more. At the very least, it should be taken even more seriously by the Rams, which in turn will allow opportunities for passing plays on the running backs. Both Fournette and Bernard are considered excellent pass receivers.

Every defensive stop becomes a milestone

As we expect a very offensively driven game where both teams should end up scoring over 25 points, every stop a defence can manage becomes all the more important. Whoever can force the opponent into three or even four punts in the game has a good chance of winning the game.

Here we see a very slight advantage on the side of the Rams, who did not even allow a first down against the Cardinals for a long time. While this is a little too risky as a main bet for LA to win, going over 22.5 Rams points as a bet for Bucs vs. Rams should definitely work.

Key Players:
QB: Tom Brady
RB: Leonard Fournette
WR: Mike Evans
TE: Rob Gronkowski
K: Ryan Succop

Los Angeles Rams – Statistics & current form

The Rams confirmed their favourite status against Arizona and did so very impressively. If the Bucs’ win against Philly was already a show of force, then we can certainly say the same about the Rams’ win. Especially since the Cards are clearly stronger than the Eagles.

So now two heavyweights will meet in Round 2, for both of whom only the Super Bowl counts in the end. The Rams are probably the only team that can keep up with the Buccaneers in terms of the individual strength of the squad – at all positions.

Defence showed for the first time what they are capable of

Against the Rams, Matthew Stafford was also in top form, but the show was stolen by another part of the team: his defence. They allowed only 26 yards on the Cards’ first seven drives – plus two interceptions.

This meant that the Rams already led 21-0 at half-time and the game was as good as decided. In addition, the Rams defence was the first in a playoff game to send the opponent off the field with minus yards on three drives to start a game.

That was impressive from Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Co. and they will also pose problems for the Buccaneers. As indicated, with these two offensive lines, four forced punts by the defense would be half the battle.

Who wins the coaching duel?

When top teams like these meet, the coaching staff always plays a decisive role. The best example of this was last year’s NFC final between the Bucs and the Packers. Matt Lafleur messed up so badly that the Packers ultimately lost out.

This also happened to Sean McVay once in Super Bowl LIII against a Brady team, so we should keep an eye on that. If McVay stays cool this time, though, the Rams definitely have a chance. So for Tampa vs Los Angeles, the odds on the Rams + 3 are a good betting alternative.

Key Players:
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Cam Akers
WR: Odell Beckham Jr.
WR: Cooper Kupp
K: Matt Gay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Los Angeles Rams Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

Although the Bucs have the home field advantage, which definitely should not be underestimated in the playoffs, another point does favour LA. The Rams have won seven of the last eight head-to-head meetings.

While this may not have been so important when Goff and Winston were the starting quarterbacks, Stafford and Co. were able to win the duel again this season with 34:23 – in impressive fashion.

So we definitely see chances for the Rams to pull off a little surprise here, at least ratings-wise. For Buccaneers vs. Rams, a tip on LA is therefore possible and would also provide us with a very good value.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Los Angeles Rams Tip

There are points in Tampa’s favour (home field advantage, offence) as well as points in LA’s favour (defence, history). Thus, we see an approximate 50:50 duel coming up, in which the form of the day will decide.

Thus, for Bucs vs. Rams, the odds are better to bet on Los Angeles, as they have the underdog status. We see bets on the Rams to score over 22.5 points as this should be a good score to achieve in a high scoring game.

Alternatively, bets on over-points are also an option. That a team cracks the 30 points should be considered certain and then the 48.5 points are also more than likely.