It’s time to put a lid on today’s slate of games, with a huge matchup on Sunday Night Football, featuring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Los Angeles Rams. As the home team, the Rams are seven-point favorites and the total is currently sitting at 49.5 points.
The two teams have met in the playoffs in recent years, and there’s potential to be another one later on this season. At 8-2, the Rams are atop the NFC West and hold the #2 seed in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Bucs are 6-4 atop the NFC South and hold the #4 seed in the NFC.
In this article, I will lay out my three best plays for the Bucs-Rams SNF matchup, including one on the spread, as well as player props for Emeka Egbuka and Kyren Williams.
Let’s dive in to see what we have in store:
Best Bets for Sunday Night Football: Bucs at Rams (Sunday, Nov. 23)
Buccaneers +7 (-110)
Both teams have gone through the ringer in recent weeks, with the Rams playing back-to-back division games against the 49ers and Seahawks, while the Bucs got through the tough part of their schedule against AFC East teams (Patriots & Bills) without getting a win.
Well, desperation is starting to kick in now for Tampa, which has lost three of the last four games. This is a potential letdown spot for LA, which we have only seen once this season; if not for a closing-second blocked field goal in Philly, we’re talking about a 9-1 team here.
Nevertheless, seven points feels like a tough ask against a team desperate for a win. The Bucs got a huge jolt of energy last week from RB Sean Tucker, who finished with 140 total yards and three TDs. Tampa may not win this game, but a field goal margin would be well within our range to make a profit on this wager.
Kyren Williams: Over 78.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards (-115)
The Bucs have been getting shredded by opposing RBs in recent games, which isn’t always the case when running the football. However, the matchups have gotten tougher, and speedy/shifty RBs have been breaking off huge gains. In recent weeks, here’s what some of those performances have looked: James Cook: 114, TreVeyon Henderson: 150, Jahmyr Gibbs: 218, Christian McCaffrey: 111.
Williams has exceeded 78.5 rushing + receiving yards in eight of 10 games this season (16 of last 20 overall) – the two misnomers this season ended in performances of 65 and 69 combined yards, still very close to this mark.
Emeka Egbuka: Longest Catch – Over 23.5 Yards (-115)
The Rams have turned into a classic pass funnel on defense. Their run-stopping front-seven is one of the toughest in the league, so teams are basically forced to air it out against them. As a result, they’re giving up the sixth-most air yards per game to wide receivers, at a clip of 113.8 per game.
Egbuka is set up perfectly here, as he’s ripped off catches of 24+ yards in seven of 10 games this season. In recent games, the Rams have been burned by big WR plays; since Week 7, they’ve let nine different wideouts tally catches of 20+ yards. With Egbuka seeing at least nine targets in each of his last four games (and hauling in 24+ yard grabs in three of those), he’s going to have every opportunity to cash this prop.
