There are two more places in the NFL Conference matches in the NFL 2021 Playoffs and the first one will be filled in the opening part of a double header on Sunday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Los Angeles Rams.
These two sides will battle it out in Florida knowing that the winners will host the San Francisco 49ers for a place in the Super Bowl next week so the incentive for the pair of them is incredibly high for what should be a corker of a game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The defending champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers know that they are now seeded to reach the Super Bowl for a second year in succession and it would take a brave man to bet against them with home advantage right up until then. They made it through to this stage with an emphatic win over the Philadelphia Eagles who were near enough completely shut out until the Bucs eased up a little in the fourth quarter, potentially saving something for this match.
We know the Buccaneers can go all the way from here as they did it last season but they will need to avenge a loss to the Rams back in week three of the season where they went down by 10 points. That was in Los Angeles though and the Bucs have upped their game in the last few weeks, especially on defence where they look watertight at the minute, particularly against the run. If they can overcome the offensive injuries they are a real chance here.
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Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams will know this is the final time they will play away from their home ground this season. If they win then they will host their divisional rivals San Francisco 49ers next week and then if they make it that far Super Bowl LVI is at their home stadium too. There can be no bigger incentive for a side than that and if the Rams can play to their potential then they would have every chance of going all the way this term.
You would imagine if the Rams are going to win this match then they will need to do it through the air because the Buccaneers defence is elite against the run. That brings Matt Stafford under the microscope and the last thing the Rams will be able to afford is him turning the ball over so he needs a clean game. The Los Angeles defence is full of playmakers and while you wouldn’t think they could stop the Tampa Bay offense completely, if they can slow it down it would help.
Betting
As I said last week, the Los Angeles Rams are my Super Bowl pick and if they win this match they will be favourites to win the title so I’m going to let that outright pick ride and hope they come through this encounter. I certainly don’t think they are without a chance and they have enough playmakers on their side to be able to win any game and that I wouldn’t want to take them on. I did highlight a weakness last week though which the Arizona Cardinals didn’t exploit. I fancy Tampa Bay will.
That is against tight ends where the Rams are outside the top 10 in coverage and if you don’t cover Rob Gronkowski very well you can end up in trouble very quickly. Since the Antonio Brown situation occurred the Buccaneers are running short of genuine receiving options so it is no surprise that in the last two games Mike Evans and Gronkowski have seen their productivity increase. Gronk has caught seven passes in each of the last two games. Only in the season opener has he caught more. Those receptions have gone for 115 and 137 yards so I’m surprised we can get a 63.5 yard receiving line here. Gronk caught four passes for 54 yards in the reverse meeting between these two but with a shortage of options for Brady to pass to I fancy his favourite target will get more to go at here and reach 64 yards and more.
Tips
WON – Back R.Gronkowski – Over 63.5 receiving yards for a 3/10 stake at 1.90 with Coral
Back him here:
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