The Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Los Angeles Rams in NFL Week 3 for a battle between NFC contenders.
Last year, we saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play host to the Los Angeles Rams in late November. Jared Goff and his then-club went into Florida and got one over on Tom Brady and Co. That marked the first of two straight losses to end the month for the Bucs. Of course, they didn’t lose thereafter as they won a Super Bowl while LA watched from home.
Things have certainly changed since then as the two teams ready to meet in NFL Week 3, especially for Los Angeles, who will host this Sunday matchup. Matthew Stafford has been brought in to give the club more offensive upside. Meanwhile, Tampa has a ring but they also brought almost the entire roster back for another run.
Both of these teams are considered true contenders in the 2021 season as they prepare for their NFL Week 3 meeting. So what happens when two great NFC franchises go to war in the City of Angels? We have some bold predictions to parse that out.
Buccaneers vs. Rams prediction No. 5: No running back hits 35 rushing yards
When the two teams met last season, it was an all-out aerial assault. No running back had more than 30 rushing yards in that game as Goff and Brady were just dueling through the air. And I don’t see that formula changing all that much in this game.
For one, the Buccaneers aren’t exactly a run-heavy team and, when they do go to the ground, they utilize a committee. Then, Tampa is one of the best run defenses in the league, so the Rams would be unwise to run the ball into a brick wall. On top of that, Darrell Henderson, who is starting after Cam Akers suffered a season-ending injury in training camp, is questionable.
This is going to be a showcase of two of the league’s best passing attacks. As such, don’t expect the backs to do much of anything in the ground game.