After losing their last five games, the St. Louis Rams finally returned to the winning column by beating the Detroit Lions, 21-14, on Sunday. They received a strong performance from Todd Gurley, who led the way for them with 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Rams will aim to build on their momentum and hopefully emerge with the same results versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this coming Thursday night. Can they succeed in doing so?
Read on below for a full analysis of this NFC showdown. And while you’re at it, check out our other Week 15 previews of the Jets vs. Cowboys and Bears vs. Vikings.
[sc:Football ]Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. St. Louis Rams Preview
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
When: Thursday, December 17, 8:25 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1.5) at St. Louis Rams (-1.5); total: 41.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: NFL
Betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
[sc:NFL240banner ]Following a 23-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn’t sustain that momentum last Sunday night against the visiting New Orleans Saints. They were simply outmatched by the efforts of Drew Brees, who completed 31 of his 41 passes for 312 yards with two touchdowns and zero picks in a 24-17 Saints win.
It was worth keeping in mind, though, that the Bucs made things close down the stretch. Jameis Winston, who finished with just 182 yards on 18-of-32 passing, delivered a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Adam Humphries which clipped a 14-point deficit in half. But unfortunately, the Saints’ defense made sure to avoid any more mishaps to ultimately snap their four-game slide.
This loss was huge for the Bucs, whose hopes to make a bid for the NFC wild card race took a major dip. They’ll look to remain optimistic and bounce back at the Edward Jones Dome this Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams. Tampa Bay is 3-3 SU and 4-2 ATS on the road this year.
The Bucs’ ground game, which is the fourth-best in the NFL with 141.2 yards per contest, will be their main key to victory. This huge success has got Doug Martin’s name written all over it, as he currently leads the team with 1,214 yards rushing and five scores this season. Martin’s also reached the 100-yard mark four times and has had a touchdown in his previous two games.
Meanwhile, the Bucs are not really known to have a formidable passing game (222.7 yards per game), but Winston can still rely upon his steadfast target in Mike Evans, who’s hauled in 164 yards on 13 reception in the past three games. That stretch includes their four-point win opposite the Falcons, during which he caught 5-of-7 targets for 61 yards along with the game-winning touchdown.
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Betting on the St. Louis Rams (5-8)
When Todd Gurley gets it going, the St. Louis Rams are tough to beat.
This was what exactly transpired during the Ram’s seven-point win at the expense of the Detroit Lions last Sunday. Gurley, who has been limited to only 60 yards on 18 carries in the past two weeks, broke out from his slump with a game-high of 140 yards on 16 rushes and had two touchdowns under his belt. That performance also allowed his team to put an end to their five-game losing streak.
Now, the Rams set their sights on making it two wins in a row when they head back home for an impending clash with the inconsistent Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have lost two of their previous three games. St. Louis is 5-5 SU and ATS in its last 10 meetings with the Bucs.
If the Rams wish to get a winning streak going, they’ll need a better performance from Case Keenum. The 27-year-old quarterback, who missed the past two games due to a concussion, was pretty rusty against Detroit with only 124 passing yards, zero touchdowns and an interception.
It’ll be interesting to see if head coach Jeff Fisher will continue to stick with Keenum for the rest of the way or revert back to Nick Foles as his starting signal-caller. Whatever the case, they still have Gurley to rely upon to lead them on the ground versus a solid Bucs front seven that’s surrendering just 94.1 yards through 13 games.
Gurley’s efforts alone might not be enough to give St. Louis the win, however. That said, the Rams are going to need some offense through the air as well and they’ll have the pair of Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin to lean on. Both wide receivers have combined for 866 yards passing with five touchdowns this season.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis receives another strong output from Todd Gurley to give them their second-straight win. They beat Tampa Bay, 20-17. Create a betting account now and cash in on all the NFL regular season action.
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