The Rams could be playing their final game in St. Louis on Thursday with a move to Los Angeles in the works. Kind of ironic since the fans in the LA area experienced the exact same feeling 20 years ago when the franchise bolted to the Midwest. The Bucs aren’t going anywhere. And that includes the playoffs after last week’s lackadaisical performance in a loss to the Saints.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
St. Louis Rams +1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1
Over/Under 42
ODDS ANALYSIS
The line fell a point to 41 soon after opening. Teams with difficulty scoring puts the under in a good spot in this one. The under is 5-2 in St. Louis’ home games and 10-3 overall while the Bucs have played below the final total in each of their last three games.
KEY INJURIES
Vincent Jackson – Suffered a knee injury in the first half against New Orleans and didn’t return. The starting receiver is questionable to play Thursday and the short week makes it more likely he won’t. The Bucs could turn to Donteea Dye, who took a majority of second half snaps against the Saints, or Adam Humphries if Jackson isn’t ready.
Akeem Spence – Tampa Bay’s starting defensive tackle left Sunday’s game with a lower leg injury and didn’t return. He is questionable to play on Thursday. Tony McDaniel is next on the depth chart.
Janoris Jenkins – the Rams cornerback missed last week’s game with a concussion and has yet to pass the league’s protocol. He is questionable to play on Thursday. Marcus Roberson started in his place against the Lions.
KEY MISMATCH
The only offensive success the Rams have had this season has been tied directly to the effectiveness of running back Todd Gurley. St. Louis went nowhere in their previous five games, losing them all to force coach Jeff Fisher to fire offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and promote Rob Boras to the job last week. After a first half Sunday that looked eerily similar to those five games, the Ram’s offense took off in the second half as Boras dialed up Gurley’s number. Prior to their matchup with the Lions, Fisher said that in making the move to Boras, he hoped his new coordinator could spark the run game. Boras said he wanted to feed Gurley as much as possible, especially after the rookie had just nine carries in each of the past two games. Whatever Boras did apparently worked. Gurley finished with 140 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. It was his fifth 100-yard game and his first since Week 8. As a team, the Rams rushed for 203 yards on 29 carries, an average of seven yards per carry.
KEY STAT
16.2 – St. Louis’ points per game average. The Rams are 31st in the NFL in scoring and reached the 20-point mark last week for the first time in six games. Tampa Bay ranks 22nd in scoring defense.
BETTING ANGLE
If the Bucs can’t get fired up to play in a meaningful game with a shot at the postseason, I’m not sure what will light a fire under them. The motivation of playing for a wild-card berth didn’t last long, and the Bucs’ uninspired effort against a team that had nothing to play for was surprising considering how long it’s been since Tampa Bay had a meaningful home game this late in the season. The pressure of competing for the playoffs might have finally caught up with the Bucs, who were off their game from the start. The loss to New Orleans seriously damaged the Bucs’ playoff chances. They lost ground to Seattle and are two games behind the Seahawks and Vikings with three to play. With the playoffs all but out of the picture, can the Bucs play better ball?
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Bucs have regressed after thumping Philadelphia a month ago and it cost them a chance at the postseason. Since scoring a season-high 45 points against the Eagles, it’s been a struggle for Tampa Bay as they dropped two of the past three games, essentially ending the slim chance they had of qualifying for the postseason. A lack of offense cost them in both losses. The Bucs scored just 12 points against Indy’s 31st-ranked defense in a Nov. 29 loss, and failed to take advantage of New Orleans’ last-ranked unit Sunday. We thought Jameis Winston was ready to lead this team, but maybe the pressure of a playoff run got the better of him and his mates. Or the Bucs haven’t arrived yet. Their six wins have come against teams that are all currently below .500 and a combined 26-39. The Rams got back to their winning formula to end a five-game slide. Trust the defense and give the football to Todd Gurley. That combination will work again to stifle Winston and the Bucs.
St. Louis 19, Tampa Bay 16
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