Rams vs. Buccaneers: Monday Night Football Preview and Predictions

By Richard Dominic-Giordano

Monday, Nov. 23 at 8:15 p.m. ET

ESPN

SPREAD: Bucs, -3.5

The Los Angeles Rams head to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers in a showdown between two of the top teams in the NFC. The Rams sit in second place in the NFC West at 6-3 while the Buccaneers come in second in the NFC South at 7-3. This game is crucial for both teams as the Rams would be able to move into first place with a win and the Bucs are looking to keep pace with the first-place New Orleans Saints. The Rams are coming off an impressive win against the Seahawks in which their defense held Russell Wilson and company to a mere 16 points. The Buccaneers are fresh off a 46 point explosion against the Carolina Panthers and look to be rounding into form after an embarrassing loss to the Saints just two weeks ago. This should be a highly contested battle between two of the most talented teams in football.

Los Angeles Rams

While the talk within the NFC West has been centered around the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams have quietly been able to slide into second place in the division, and with a win on Monday Night Football, they have the chance to take over sole possession of first place from Seattle. The Rams have been one of the most well-balanced teams in football, ranking in the top ten in both offense and defense. 

Rams Offense

Cooper Kupp currently leads the Rams offense with 577 receiving yards on the season. (USA TODAY Sports)

The Rams have had a balanced offensive attack all year long ranking 8th in rushing yards (134.2) and 11th in passing yards (261.3). Los Angeles’s run game is the center of the offense, led by a running back committee of Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown. Head Coach Sean McVay has relied on the run game to set up his play-action all season long and for the most part, it has worked in their favor. Quarterback Jared Goff is the key for this offense as he has been up and down all year long. For the Rams to be able to defeat the Buccaneers, Goff will need to have one of his best performances of the season. The Bucs are one of the best defenses in the NFL against the run and will force Goff to pick them apart through the air.

Rams Defense

While the offense has certainly had some struggles, the defense has been able to keep the Rams competitive. On the season, the Rams rank 2nd in both yards and points allowed. The late-season acquisition of star cornerback Jalen Ramsey in 2019 has turned the Rams defense from solid to elite this year. Superstar defensive end Aaron Donald ranks second in the NFL in sacks (9.0), showing this defense is stout both upfront and on the back end. The Rams will need to be able to slow down one of the most talented receiving corps in the NFL in order to come out with a win. If the pass rush can get to Tom Brady early and often, it will make it much easier for the secondary to stay in front of the Buccaneers receivers and avoid the big yardage plays.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have been one of the main stories throughout much of the offseason that has led all the way through the first 10 weeks this season. The addition of future Hall of Famers in quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski has brought much needed national media attention to a team that was rarely in the spotlight the past few seasons. Tampa Bay has seemed to be a bit of a rollercoaster all year long from getting embarrassed by the Saints in both meetings to blowing out the undefeated Packers.

Buccaneers Offense

Ronald Jones II is coming off of a 192 rushing yard game in Week 10. (USA TODAY Sports)

Tampa Bay’s offense has seemed to be working out the kinks as the season goes on. Without training camp or preseason, it wasn’t surprising to see the Bucs offense start slow, but as the season has progressed it seems like with each coming week Tom Brady and his receivers get on the same page more and more. Even with all the new pieces moving in and out of the lineup, the Bucs still rank second in the NFL in points per game (29.6). In terms of a receiving core, the Buccaneers have an embarrassment of riches with Pro Bowl receivers Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and former All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. Running back Ronald Jones currently ranks 3rd in the NFL in rushing yards and is coming off his best game of the season where he rushed for 192 yards. Jones will need to establish himself early to make things a bit easier for Brady against Jalen Ramsay and a passing defense that gives up the third-fewest air yards per game (199.7).

Buccaneers Defense

Tampa Bay’s offense has been certainly the talking point, but the defense has been the most consistent group since the start of the season. The Bucs defense ranks first in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (76.6) and third in total yards allowed (300.3). Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been a monster, ranking sixth in the NFL in sacks (6.5) and third in the NFL in forced fumbles (3). The Buccaneer defense should be able to make it difficult for the Rams to be able to establish their run game, which is what sets up their entire offense.

Prediction

This will be one of the most entertaining games of the week as both teams seem to be quite evenly matched. The Tampa Bay run defense will make it extremely difficult for the Rams to establish the run, turning Jared Goff into strictly a pocket passer. While Goff is certainly capable of beating the Bucs through the air, he has struggled without the ability to use play-action. While the Bucs defense has shown some instances of being able to be thrown on (9th in passing yards allowed), I don’t trust Jared Goff to be able to make the throws he needs to win this game. The Rams defense will keep the Buccaneers offense in check for the most part, but after a while of continuously bailing out the offense, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald, and company will run on fumes. Brady and the Buccaneers will move to 8-3 on the season and remain undefeated at home (6-0).   

SHAWN’S PREDICTION: Buccaneers 27 - 20

AJ’S PREDICTION: Rams 30 - 28

ROBBIE’S PREDICTION: Rams 21 - 17

Richard is a sports writer for La Tonique.