• What: NFC Divisional Round
• Who: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Los Angeles Rams
• Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla.
• When: Sunday, Jan. 23
Will anyone be able to stop Tom Brady from winning his eighth Super Bowl? Folks are ready to see if that can happen, and it’s up to the Los Angeles Rams this weekend to try and stop Tampa Bay from advancing. In this article, we have Buccaneers vs. Rams 2022 NFL postseason picks, with the two teams set to meet in the Divisional Round. Which team will come out on top?
As you might have been able to guess, the Buccaneers are slight favorites going up against the Rams in this one. After another brilliant regular season, Brady and Co. went ahead and won another NFC South crown. Remember, they won the Super Bowl last year too and they’re hyped up to try and repeat. The pressure is on them, especially with the Rams playing so well.
For Tampa Bay, things of course start with Brady. Despite being well into his 40s, Brady continues to look fantastic throwing the ball around. Luckily for him, Rob Gronkowski and Mike Evans are also in the middle of strong seasons. They will continue to be Brady’s go-to options in the postseason. Tampa Bay is also coming off a strong win over the Eagles in the Wild Card Round.
| TB-LA odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucs to win | -154 | -154 | -154 | -154 |
| Rams to win | +130 | +130 | +130 | +130 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
As for the Rams, they faced the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night and Los Angeles barely broke a sweat. The offense was fantastic and the defense also looked sharp. Aaron Donald is one of the most lethal pass-rushers in the game and he’s a force in the trenches. He and the rest of the front-seven will look to make things incredibly tough for Brady from start to finish.
According to the best rated online sportsbooks, the Bucs indeed are expected to move on to the NFC Championship Game, as they’ve been given -154 NFL Las Vegas odds. Meanwhile for the Rams, the NFC West side has been set at +130. This is going to be a very close battle and things could really go either way. While the Bucs are the betting pick for many because they’re favored, we’re not going with them.
Indeed, look for the Rams to pull off an upset in this one, as they’re our pick to come away with the win. What makes this team so darn special is the fact that they’re stout on both sides of the ball. Sean McVay is a brilliant coach and we’ve seen what he’s been able to do early on in his career. Also, don’t forget the major upgrade for the team at quarterback as well.
With Matthew Stafford now running the show instead of Jared Goff, points are being recorded left and right by the Rams. In the Wild Card Round win over the Cardinals, Stafford was fantastic. He’s developed quite the rapport with both Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. Both of those star receivers played great against Arizona, each hauling in touchdown passes from Stafford.
“I’m just excited for our team to get the win,” Stafford said after the win over Arizona. “What a team effort. Our defense played outstanding tonight, special teams basically set up a score with (punter) Johnny Hecker pinning them down there. We did a great job on field goals. And we were good enough on offense to score some points and come away with the win. Just happy to be moving on.”
This was the first playoff win for Stafford. While that feels good for him, you already know he’s motivated to try and keep things going. The Rams have what it takes to potentially compete for a trip to the Super Bowl. First, they’ll need to take care of business going up against Tampa Bay on the road in the coming days. We think they’ll be able to do so. Agree? Check out our NFL betting sites and be sure to place a wager.
It goes without saying, but the over should definitely hit in Rams vs. Bucs when these two powerhouses meet. We’ve mentioned studs on both sides of the ball, but the offense is really where things get going for LA and Tampa Bay. It’s going to be tough for both defenses to try and contain them, especially with Stafford and Brady playing so amazingly leading up to the opening kickoff.
With the over/under being set at 48.5 points, it feels like a lock that the over will hit. At the end of the day, it will come down to which defense will be able to make a key stop late to help their team record a win. With that said, this really should be a track meet between the two offenses. McVay and head coach Bruce Arians are going to be going 100 MPH from start to finish. We’re going with the over.
