The St. Louis Rams (5-8) battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) this week in a game that will feature the NFL’s second-leading rusher, Doug Martin (1,214 yards, 5 TDs). Kickoff is at 8:25 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec 17 and will air on NFLN.
In last week’s game, St. Louis defeated the Lions 21-14. Todd Gurley had a huge game running the ball in the victory, dashing 16 times for 140 yards and two TDs. Tampa Bay is hoping for a different outcome after losing to the Saints 24-17. Lavonte David led the defensive effort for Tampa Bay, recording 10 tackles. Doug Martin had a great game as well, adding 81 yards and a TD on 11 carries.
This week’s matchup between the Rams and the Buccaneers has even odds and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 41 points.
Sitting at 5-8 Straight Up (SU) and 5-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS), the Rams will look to improve heading into Week 15. In their five most recent matchups, the Rams went 1-4 SU and 1-3-1 ATS. The Buccaneers probably won’t throw the ball often in St. Louis. They are one of the least-effective passing teams in the NFL, averaging 222.8 passing yards per game. The Rams hope to succeed against Tampa Bay’s defense during the third quarter, when it allows 6.2 points per road game.
Across the field, the Buccaneers head into Week 15 with records of 7-6 ATS and 6-7 SU. Over their last five games, the Buccaneers have a SU and ATS record of 3-2. Tampa Bay yields excellent returns with its running attack, where its 140.9 rushing yards per game ranks fourth in the league. Tampa Bay’s defense may have it easy when they take on the Rams, who average a measly 18.3 points per home game this season. The Rams are matching up with Tampa Bay’s defense at an inopportune time. Over the last five games, Tampa Bay’s opponents have only averaged 71.2 yards on the ground. The Buccaneers defense will take advantage of every opportunity the Rams give it. The Buccaneers generate 2.2 turnovers per game, third in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, ATS Winner – TB, O/U – Under
Notes
St. Louis is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of St. Louis’s last 9 games.
St. Louis is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis’s last 6 games at home.
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis’s last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis’s last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay.
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay is 4-3 SU this season, when leading at the half. St. Louis is 4-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Tampa Bay is only 2-4 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (4-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The St. Louis passing attack is ranked last in the league, while the Tampa Bay pass defense is ranked 20th. The Buccaneers’ passing game is ranked just 26th, compared to the 13th-ranked pass defense of the Rams.
St. Louis has allowed 19.0 points per game at home this year, which is ranked 12th in the NFL. The Tampa Bay offense has averaged 24.2 points per game on the road (ranked ninth overall).
