Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup Preview (1/23/22): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup Preview (1/23/22)

It’s time for the 2021 NFL Divisional Round showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams secured their round two spots after blowing their round one opponents out of the water. The Rams defensive line shut down Kyler Murray while the offense had huge strides downfield, resulting in a 34-11 Wild Card victory. The Buccaneers were successfully able to psych out the Philadelphia Eagles offense, forcing three turnovers and a win 31-15. The two teams have met in the regular season for one of the most exciting matches in the 2021 season. The game ended in a 34-24 win for the Rams, giving Tampa Bay their first loss. However, this matchup will occur at Raymond James Stadium, where the Bucs have only taken one loss. You’re going to want to turn your channels to NBC this Sunday, January 23rd, at 2:00 PM CST to witness one of the best matchups for this Divisional Round Weekend.

Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Odds

It’s been very hard to make a case to bet against the GOAT Tom Brady throughout his career. Brady has successfully gone 35-11 with seven Super Bowl titles in his postseason career. While some may believe he is on the road to another Super Bowl ring, I wouldn’t count out the Los Angeles Rams just yet. The last meeting of these teams leaves many curious if the Bucs will be able to pull out a win to advance to the NFC Championship. The Rams beat the Bucs 34-24 in Week 3, leaving a huge gap in their spread. For this meeting, the spread has been placed in favor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by -3 (-105) points and a moneyline of -150. The Rams have been given a spread of +3 (-115) and a moneyline of +130. Just about everyone believes this is going to be a great and a very close game. Everyone knows Tom Brady does his best under pressure, so a last-minute win may be in the future for the Bucs. However, The LA Rams’ defensive line shut down one of the best scramblers last week and put immense pressure that helped them win the game against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. The Rams have Aaron Darold and Von Miller to overwhelm Brady and prevent the Bucs’ offense from getting downfield. After seeing both performances last week, I think it’s time for the LA Rams to take it to the NFC Championship.

My Prediction: Rams win 27-24, Rams cover, Over 48.5

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, January 23rd
Time: 2:00 PM CST
Location: Raymond James Stadium –  Tampa Bay, FL
TV Coverage: ESPN/NBC/ESPN+

Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Live Stream

Where can you watch team Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch team Rams vs. Buccaneers Free Online Now.

Los Angeles Rams Analysis

Last Monday, the Los Angeles Rams stole the show of Wild Card weekend. Their performance defensively easily shut down one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. Last year, the Rams were in the same position in the divisional round but lost to the Green Bay Packers. This year, the team is looking to be in better shape to take on the league’s biggest competitor. 

The Los Angeles Rams have a stacked team consisting of offensive league leaders and defensive powerhouses that have defeated Tampa Bay earlier in the regular season. The Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp combination will stir up trouble for the Buccaneers’ defense since they are the most connected quarterback/receiver duo in the league with 150 completions between the regular and postseason so far. The Bucs will be expecting Kupp receptions all night, so the flopping secondary of the Bucs might need to sacrifice coverage on other receivers to protect against Kupp. In their previous meeting, Kupp was able to put up 96 receiving yards on the Bucs’ defense, so stopping the best receiver in the league will be the Tampa Bay teams’ number one priority. 

This will leave plenty of opportunities for Stafford to take advantage of his other receivers like Van Jeffers, Odell Beckham Jr, and Tyler Higbee. Collectively, the three other receivers have a combined 1,808 yards in their regular and post-game appearances. With soft coverage, any of these receivers can be huge threats to even the best defensive secondary. The options for Matthew Stafford are almost unlimited, and passes will be thrown to the biggest mismatches in coverage. The last time Stafford played against the Bucs, he threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns, making it his best game of the 2021 season. Stafford knows how to exploit the Bucs’ defensive weaknesses and finds the holes to give his receivers the best chance of scoring. When going up against Tom Brady, Stafford knows there’s no room for error on his side of the field. His accuracy and QB IQ will help lead his team down in Florida.

Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart

QB: Matthew Stafford
RB1: Sony Michel
RB2: Cam Akers
WR1: Cooper Kupp
WR2: Van Jefferson
WR3: Odell Beckham Jr.
TE1: Tyler Higbee

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis

The 2020 Super Bowl Champions are back on their home turf for the Divisional Round of the 2021 NFL postseason. The home-field advantage has been proven to be a huge asset for the team as they have gone 7-1 at Raymond James Stadium all of 2021. However, their previous loss to the LA Rams may lead to suspicion if they’ll be able to try for the NFC title yet again.

Tom Brady has had a very impressive career as the greatest NFL quarterback ever to do it. He finished the regular season with the most passing yards with 5,316 yards. After last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady gets to add another 271 yards to his 2021 season stat list. Brady has the incredible ability to pump out the most accurate throws even through the smallest windows of opportunity. He also has the quickest snap to release time amongst quarterbacks in the league with a 2.71 average with the ball. Against the Rams, Brady will need to keep his decisions quick and alert before the aggressive defensive line of Aaron Darnold and Von Miller will collapse the pocket and leave Brady on the turf. With Lavonte David and Sean Murphy-Bunting questionable with injuries, Brady will be even more vulnerable to the defense, so a quick release time is necessary to get the ball moving downfield. 

Brady is missing his best receiver, Chris Godwin, in the 2021 playoffs, so he has been looking to Mike Evans as his new favorite target. Against Philadelphia, Evans put up 117 yards on nine receptions, including a touchdown. Evans has bamboozled defenses with his excellent and quick route running that will dust even the best corners. The connection between Evans and Brady seems effortless and has a lot of room to grow still. Against the Rams, Brady will be checking for Evans the most, so keep an eye #13 on the field. The Rams will definitely be loading up coverage on ex-A&M Aggie, so he will need to be creative in ways to find separation for Brady to make his big plays.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart

QB: Tom Brady
RB1: Leonard Fournette
RB2: Ronald Jones II
WR1: Mike Evans
WR2: Tyler Johnson
WR3: Scotty Miller
TE1: Rob Gronkowski

Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Daily Fantasy Picks

In the world of fantasy football, Cooper Kupp has been a godsend. Kupp has been dubbed the greatest fantasy asset for any team with his massive yardage totals and his constant completions with his quarterback Matthew Stafford. It’s almost impossible to bet against the duo, and it’s terrifying to play against them. The Bucs defense is usually one of the best in the league, but against Stafford and Kupp, they may be running into some trouble. 

It’s also usually very difficult to bet against Brady, but with a damaged offensive line going up against Aaron Darnold and Von Miller, Brady may be at risk for this matchup. The Bucs have been beaten down with injuries right before they entered the postseason, so Brady’s options are limited and looking obsolete. In the position of quarterback, I would suggest taking Stafford over Brady in this divisional-round matchup.