TAMPA BAY (6 - 7) at ST LOUIS (5 - 8) - 12/17/2015, 8:25 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 148-187 ATS (-57.7 Units) in all games since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 148-187 ATS (-57.7 Units) in all lined games since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 106-147 ATS (-55.7 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 115-149 ATS (-48.9 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1992.
Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 2-0 against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 2-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Tampa Bay at St Louis
Tampa Bay: 18-6 UNDER on road after allowing 99 or less rush yds in 3 games
St Louis: 65-94 ATS off 1 or more consecutive unders
NFL Week 15
Buccaneers (6-7) @ Rams (5-8) -- Tampa Bay was all but KO'd by home loss to Saints last week; Bucs are 4-2 vs spread on road- this is their fifth dome game this year (2-2, with all four staying under). Rams snapped 5-game skid LW; they're 4-3 at home this year- there is an undercurrent that this could easily be Rams' last game in St Louis, should team move out to LA. St Louis won last three series games; two of three were in Tampa. Bucs lost three of four visits here, losing 23-13 in last visit here, in '13. NFC West non-divisional home teams are 9-8 vs spread; NFC South road clubs are 11-7. Under is 4-1 in Bucs' last five games, 8-1 in last nine St Louis games. Tampa Bay is 1-5 if it scores less than 23 points, a figure Rams held five of last eight opponents under.
Armadillosports.com
NFL: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Tampa Bay at St Louis
Another 'Ho-Hum' Thursday Night'r featuring St. Louis Rams hosting Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what has the marking of a low scoring game. Offensively challenged Rams (16.2 PPG) aren't about to suddenly light up the scoreboard. On the other side, Buc's who could not to solve one of the worst defenses in the league last week will be hard pressed vs a Rams 'D' allowing 20 points or less on home field. Best option in this snoozer, 'Under'. Rams have played 'Under' in 8-of-9, Bucs enter 8-3 'Under' away from Tampa. Another possitive for 'Under' gamblers, the teams are a combined 14-4 'Under' down the stretch (L3 weeks).
NFL Week 15 Essentials
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Tampa Bay at St. Louis: The Bucs suffered a costly home loss to New Orleans in Week 14 to fall back in the playoff hunt, managing a single first down in the first quarter in a sloppy penalty-filled game against the NFL’s worst defense. As a result, they wasted an opportunity to climb over .500 for the first time in three years, putting them in a situation where they’ll have to win out just to have a chance at a postseason berth. WR Vincent Jackson suffered an MCL sprain and is likely done for the season, so Jameis Winston won’t have one of his most effective weapons available.
Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin ranks second in the league in rushing (1,214 yards) and faces a depleted Rams run defense that is tied for 11th-worst, surrendering 115.9 yards per game. St. Louis rookie RB Todd Gurley ran for 140 yards and two scores in Sunday’s 21-14 win over Detroit and will be ready to play here despite banging knees late. Both teams are playing their only primetime contest of the season. The Bucs haven’t won a night game since 2013, while the Rams are winless in them since ’12, losing their last four.
Thursday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (6-7) at ST. LOUIS RAMS (5-8)
Sportsbook.ag Line: St. Louis -1.0, Total: 41.5
The Buccaneers will be looking to keep their slim playoff chances alive when they face the Rams in St. Louis on Thursday.
Tampa Bay dropped a brutal home game against New Orleans on Sunday and the team will like need to win out in order to have a shot at making the postseason. The Bucs lost the game 24-17 as six-point favorites, but they have still won three of their past five both SU and ATS. The Rams, meanwhile, had lost five straight games before taking down the Lions 21-14 as three-point home underdogs on Sunday. St. Louis rushed for 203 yards in that game and will need to punish the Bucs on the ground in this game.
Both teams have gone Under frequently as of late, as the Buccaneers have gone Under the total in three straight and the Rams have gone Under the total in four straight.
Over the past three seasons, the Rams are 2-0 both SU and ATS when facing the Buccaneers. They are also 3-1 SU against the Bucs when playing in St. Louis since 1992. One thing favoring Tampa Bay coming into this game is the fact that the team is facing a Rams squad that is 23-39 ATS after gaining 150 or less passing yards in its previous game since 1992. The Rams are, however, 18-4 ATS in home games versus teams that are averaging 5.65 or more yards per play in the second half of the season since 1992.
The Buccaneers really needed a victory over the Saints last game, but they did not play well enough on either side of the ball. Defensively, Tampa allowed New Orleans to run the ball far too successfully. Tim Hightower gashed the Buccaneers defense and they will need to make sure they correct those issues with Todd Gurley coming up next.
Offensively, Jameis Winston will need to be a lot better as well. Winston threw for just 182 yards against the league’s worst defense a week ago and the team needed him to be more of a playmaker in that loss. His receivers dropped a number of catchable passes, but he still must find more ways to put his team in a better position to win.
One thing that Tampa might consider doing is pounding the ball with Doug Martin. Martin has rushed for 1,214 yards and five touchdowns this season, but he only got 11 carries against the Saints. He rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on those limited touches and it was inexplicable how little usage he received in the second half.
The Rams were able to snap their losing streak and it likely would not have been possible without Todd Gurley. The rookie was a monster on the ground, rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries versus the Lions. Gurley did leave the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, but he is supposed to be ready to go on Thursday. He’ll be looking forward to facing this Tampa defense that really struggled against the run a week ago.
Defensively, the Rams will need to force Jameis Winston to make some mistakes. One player that could help do that is Trumaine Johnson. The corner has five interceptions on the year and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. A big game from him could really help St. Louis on Thursday.
Thursday Night Football Betting Preview: Buccaneers at Rams
By Covers.com
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams (-1.5, 41)
A pair of high-profile rookies square off Thursday night as the St. Louis Rams host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their final home game of the season. St. Louis halted its five-game losing streak last week with a 21-14 triumph over Detroit at the Edward Jones Dome, where it has recorded four of its five wins this campaign.
Todd Gurley led the way for the Rams, running for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries to climb within 25 of joining Eric Dickerson (1983) and Jerome Bettis (1993) as the only rookies in franchise history to rush for 1,000 yards. Tampa Bay's slim playoff hopes took a hit Sunday when it suffered a 24-17 loss to New Orleans at home. The Buccaneers, who haven't qualified for the postseason since 2007, are two games off the pace in the NFC wild-card race and could officially be eliminated from contention this weekend. Tampa Bay's disappointing campaign has not deterred quarterback Jameis Winston, who threw for 182 yards versus the Saints to raise his season total to 3,059 - a franchise rookie record.
LINE HISTORY: Books opened this game as a Pick, but that has moved to -1.5. The total has remained at the opening number of 41.
INJURY REPORT:
Bucs - DT Gerald McCoy (Probable, hand), LB Lavonte David (Probable, ankle), DT Akeem Spence (Questionable, ankle), G Logan Mankins (Questionable, undisclosed), DE George Johnson (Questionable, calf), DE Jacquies Smith (Questionable, hamstring), LB Bruce Carter (Questionable, leg), WR Vincent Jackson (Out indefinitely, knee), LB Kwon Alexander (Out for season, suspension), DT Clinton McDonald (I-R, pectoral), WR Louis Murphy (I-R, knee), T.J. Fatinikun (I-R, shoulder), WR Kenny Bell (I-R, hamstring), DE Larry English (I-R, knee).
Rams - RB Todd Gurley (Probable, knee), T Rob Havenstein (Questionable, calf), DE Robert Quinn (Questionable, back), T Andrew Donnal (Questionable, knee), CB Janoris Jenkins (Questionable, concussion), RB Trey Watts (Out for season, suspension), WR Stedman Bailey (I-R, head), S T.J. McDonald (I-R, shoulder), T Jamon Brown (I-R, leg), T Darrell Williams (I-R, wrist), CB E.J. Gaines (I-R, foot), LB Alec Ogletree (I-R, leg), G Rodger Saffold (I-R, shoulder).
POWER RANKINGS: Bucs (+1) + Rams (+5) + home field (-3.0) = Rams +1
WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "The Bucs lost SU at home on Sunday, likely dooming their playoff chances. They also lost second leading receiver Vincent Jackson to a potential season ending MCL injury. Last week I wrote about Todd Gurley’s dramatic decline in this spot. Then Gurley stepped up with his best game in months on Sunday, gashing the Lions for 140 yards and two TD’s." Covers Expert Teddy Covers.
ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS (6-7 SU, 7-6 ATS, 6-7 O/U): Doug Martin ranks second in the league with 1,214 rushing yards and third in the NFC with 1,413 yards from scrimmage. The 26-year-old has recorded six touchdowns in his last 10 games, including five on the ground. Winston is the third rookie quarterback in league history to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark.
ABOUT THE RAMS (5-8 SU, 5-7-1 ATS, 3-10 O/U): One bright spot for St. Louis this season has been its ability to get to the opposing quarterback. The Rams are second in the NFC with 36 sacks, including 11 by Aaron Donald. The 24-year-old, who is second in the conference in sacks, leads all NFL defensive tackles with 20 since the start of the 2014 campaign.
TRENDS:
* Under is 5-0 in the last five meetings.
* Underdog is 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
* Buccaneers are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games in December.
* Rams are 1-5 ATS in their last six Thursday games.
CONSENSUS: Fifty-eight percent of Covers users are backing the Rams.
TNF: Buccaneers at Rams
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
When the season began, schedule makers likely envisioned this game being vital to the Rams’ postseason push. After all, the Bucs were coming off a 2-14 season and hadn’t even won a home game under head coach Lovie Smith. St. Louis came into the 2015 campaign with one of the most feared defensive units in the game, highlighted by top draft picks like Robert Quinn, Chris Long and Aaron Donald.
This was the year they were supposed to win at least 10 games, challenging the Seahawks and Cardinals for supremacy in the NFC West. It hasn’t happened. Quinn is on IR. Long has been injured. The Rams are 5-8. They’re not going to the playoffs.
Tampa Bay had a great shot to make this game important, but fell to New Orleans at home on Sunday to fall to 6-7. Their next loss will guarantee their exclusion from this year’s playoffs. They weren’t happy about it. Defensive line coach Joe Cullen and DT Gerald McCoy got into it. Head coach Lovie Smith got after his defense. Frustration bubbled over. “I have no issues with what happened on our sideline or how everyone reacted to that performance," Smith said on Monday. "That was disappointment. Sometimes in disappointment, emotions come out a little bit. I have no issue with it at all. I really like it."
Disappointing is an appropriate term for what happened to the Bucs at home against the Saints. The offense came up with a single first down in the first quarter in a sloppy penalty-filled game against the NFL’s worst defense. As a result, they wasted an opportunity to climb over .500 for the first time in three years, putting them in a situation where they’ll have to win out just to have a chance at a postseason berth.
Tampa Bay is 3-point underdog against the Rams in this one, which doubles as potentially the final NFL game in St. Louis if the franchise succeeds in finding a new home in Los Angeles. San Diego and Oakland would appear to be ahead in the race to move to L.A., but the Rams’ open flirtation with returning to the country’s second-largest city has fans that are already disappointed the fan base, especially since the team has underachieved.
In other words, don’t count on homefield advantage to make a difference here. St. Louis is actually 4-3 at home this season, which includes a season-opening win against Seattle. They will look to finish with a winning record at home after failing to do so last year.
They’ll ride with a backup in this one, going with Case Keenum, who helped the Rams win a contest they weren’t favored in last week WR Vincent Jackson suffered an MCL sprain and is likely done for the season, so Jameis Winston won’t have one of his most effective weapons available. Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin ranks second in the league in rushing (1,214 yards) and faces a depleted Rams run defense that is tied for 11th-worst, surrendering 115.9 yards per game. St. Louis rookie RB Todd Gurley ran for 140 yards and two scores in Sunday’s 21-14 win over Detroit and will be ready to play here despite banging knees late.
Both teams are playing their only primetime contest of the season. The Bucs haven’t won a night game since 2013, while the Rams are winless in them since ’12, losing their last four. Total bettors following the Thursday night game this season have watched the ‘under’ produce a 10-4 (71%) record in this primetime slot and based on this week’s opening number (41 ½), it appears the oddsmakers are looking at another low-scoring affair.
VegasInsider.com NFL totals expert Chris David offers up this thoughts on this week’s matchup between the Buccaneers and Rams. He explained, “You can argue that this number should be lower based on the total tendencies for St. Louis this season. The Rams have seen the ‘under’ 10-3 this season and that includes eight of their last nine games. The St. Louis offense is a mess and they haven’t scored more than two offensive touchdowns in a game since Week 8.”
“Tampa Bay has also leaned to the ‘under’ (7-6) this season but they’ve had a couple surprising outburst from its offense and the unit has scored more on the road (24.2 PPG) than at home (20.4 PPG),” added David.
Even though these teams aren’t in the same division, they have played four times in the last five seasons and the ‘under’ has cashed in all four of those meetings, rather easily too.
St. Louis has won three of these games, which includes a 19-17 victory at Tampa Bay last season. The Bucs won’t have top pass rusher Jacquies Smith due to a hamstring injury and saw the league suspend top tackler Kwon Alexander for four contests. The Rams are without Quinn, TJ McDonald and Alec Ogletree, but will have Gurley in the mix.