The Tampa Bay Buccaneers get to take a trip to Los Angeles this weekend, but there won’t be a ton of sightseeing involved. The Buccaneers will be taking on the Los Angeles Rams in a Week 4 matchup, and they are pretty big underdogs in this game. Los Angeles looks like a contender to get to the Super Bowl again this season, while the Buccaneers look like a team on the rebuild again in 2019.
Los Angeles comes into this game with a perfect 3-0 record, although two of its games have been within a touchdown. The Rams were able to win a game against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday night and should have plenty of momentum heading into this game.
Tampa Bay suffered a stunning loss in Week 3 to drop its record to 1-2 on the season. The Buccaneers do have an impressive win over the Carolina Panthers this season, but consistency just isn’t there yet. Los Angeles is a 9.5-point favorite in this Week 4 matchup over Tampa Bay.
Buccaneers Defense Letting Them Down
Tampa Bay hired Bruce Arians as head coach in an effort to improve their horrible defense, but so far it hasn’t done much good. The Buccaneers gave up four total touchdowns to rookie Daniel Jones a week ago, and they have been getting burned by opponents’ passing games. Tampa Bay is giving up close to 26 points per game, and they will likely give up a ton of points to the Rams in this one.
The Buccaneers are averaging over 120 rushing yards per game, and they have some talented wide receivers as well. Quarterback Jameis Winston has thrown for 782 yards so far this season but has also been sacked a whopping 10 times. Running backs Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber have both run for over 160 yards, and they will need a big running attack in this one.
Rams Have Plenty of Offensive Weapons
The Los Angeles Rams have one of the most explosive offenses in the entire National Football League, and they are loaded with explosive playmakers. Quarterback Jared Goff hasn’t even hit his stride yet but has still thrown for 737 yards and four touchdowns this season. Cooper Kupp has returned from injury to lead the team with 267 receiving yards, but the Rams can beat teams in a variety of ways. Running back Todd Gurley appears to be healthy again and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry. The Rams are averaging close to 26 points per game this season, but they could score much more than that in this game.
Los Angeles has also been great on the defensive side of the ball this season, holding teams to just 16 points per contest. The Rams have the best defensive player in football in Aaron Donald, but he has recorded just one sack so far this season. Newcomer Clay Matthews has registered four sacks from the linebacker position, and the Rams will put some pressure on Winston in this game. If the Rams defense can match their offense, they will be extremely tough to beat.
Rams Roll Over Struggling Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not gotten off to a good start this season, and they have a bunch of players injured in this one. Tampa Bay can score points on offense, but they don’t have the firepower to keep up with the Rams. Los Angeles has picked up where it left off a season ago, and they should tear up a bad Bucs defense in this game. Take the Los Angeles Rams -9.5 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this Week 4 matchup.
