NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND 2: LOS ANGELES RAMS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

BY ADAM GREENE

While the Saturday Divisional Playoff games are good, the Sunday match ups are great as my four picks to make it to the AFC and NFC conference games meet up a week early. In the opening game, the Los Angeles Rams travel to the new Big Sombrero to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Neither team had any trouble at all dispatching their opponents in the Super Wild Card weekend. I expect this game will be significantly more difficult. I’m sure the Bucs and Rams do too.

There’s a good, historic rivalry here between the two franchises. This will be the first playoff meeting between the two teams that didn’t take place in the NFC Championship. They played in the NFC title game twice, the first in the 1979-80 season and second in the 1999-2000 season. In both cases, the Rams won.

LA holds an 18-9 advantage in the all time series. The Rams have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two franchises including two straight with Tom Brady as the Buccaneers’ quarterback. Back on Sep. 26, Los Angeles took a 34-24 win that wasn’t that close. Matthew Stafford completed 27 of 38 for 343 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in the win. Sony Michel rushed for 67 yards and Cooper Kupp caught nine passes for 96 yards and two scores. Tom Brady threw for 432 yards with one TD and no picks and led the Bucs in rushing with 14 yards. Giovanni Bernard caught nine passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. Mike Evans had eight catches for 106 yards.

LOS ANGELES RAMS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (-3, O/U: 48)

Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

Broadcast: NBC

Kickoff: Jan. 23, 3 p.m.

LOS ANGELES RAMS (13-5)

The Rams bounced back from a loss in the regular season finale in a big way, putting forth a near perfect performance in a 34-11 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Wild Card Round. Stafford finished with the highest QB rating of any Rams signal caller in the playoffs (including Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner), by going 13 of 17 for 202 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Sony Michel rushed for 58 yards and Cam Akers had 55. Kupp caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown and Odell Beckham Jr. caught four passes for 54 yards and a score and threw a 40 yard pass to Akers. LA’s defense sacked Kyler Murray twice and picked him off two times. They held the Cardinals to 61 total yards on the ground.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (14-4)

Tampa Bay had no issues at all dispatching the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15 in the Super Wild Card round. Brady completed 29 of 37 for 271 yards, two touchdowns and no picks in the win. Ke’Shawn Vaughn rushed 17 times for 53 yards and a TD and Mike Evans caught nine passes for 117 yards and a score. The Bucs defense sacked Jalen Hurts twice and held the Eagles to 95 total yards on the ground.

THE PICK

As this was my predicted NFC Championship match up, I think it’s only right I stick with the results I predicted back in the first week of September. Nothing would surprise me in this Divisional Round as these are, legitimately, the best eight teams in professional football and all of them are deserving of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 13. Back in the preseason I made a prediction of this very game. I’m sticking with it. Buccaneers 27, Rams 24.

Last Week

Straight up: 5-1

Against the spread: 3-3

Playoffs

Straight up: 5-1

Against the spread: 3-3

Season

Straight up: 175-102-1

Against the spread: 146-132

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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