All eyes will be on SoFi Stadium for Week 3’s afternoon slate at online sportsbooks when Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in a battle of NFC heavyweights. LA went into Raymond James Stadium in Week 11 of last season and scored a huge 27-24 outright win and cover as 4-point dogs to avenge the shocking 55-40 defeat the team was dealt the year prior when the Bucs made its trek to Tinseltown. These teams enter the third week of the regular season unblemished and atop the futures odds to win the conference. Buckle your seat belts and strap in for what’s likely to be one of the better matchups of the entire NFL betting season.
Watch this regular season Week 3 matchup on Sunday, September 26, 2021, at 4:25 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium on FOX.
NFL Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1.5
Los Angeles Rams +1.5
Total 55.5
Odds Analysis
Los Angeles initially hit the board as 1.5-point favorites with a total of 52 on the Week 3 look-ahead lines. It remerged as short 1.5-point favorites once the betting odds were rereleased to the public, but the betting markets were having none of that. Tampa Bay now finds itself installed the 1.5-point favorite with 59 percent of the tickets and 52 percent of the money supporting them in this tilt. Along with major point spread movement, this game has also seen the O/U jump 3.5 points to 55.5 with 85 percent of the tickets and 85 percent of the money expecting an offensive clinic with both defenses looking beatable through the first two weeks of play.
Player Prop Target
The Buccaneers defense is set in its front seven. It’s dominant and can stop the run with the best of them. However, the secondary has been a real issue to this point of the season. While Sean Murphy-Bunting wasn’t the greatest cover man the league has witnessed, his presence at least gave Tampa Bay a capable defender to keep its opposition honest. With him out of the mix, the Bucs have conceded an average of 342 passing yards per game No. 30 as well as 2.5 passing touchdowns per game No. 27. With that, it’s going to be wise to target Rams pass catchers for this one. Cooper Kupp’s gotten out to a tremendous start to his 2021-22 campaign. That means his player props will be inflated. On the flipside, Robert Woods has struggled. That’s the guy I’ll be targeting in this one with his receiving yards and receptions props likely to be suppressed. Hit the over on each and also take a flier on Woods being an anytime touchdown scorer!
Matchup to Watch
The GOAT is playing some of the best ball of his life at the ripe old age of 44. He’s already thrown for 655 yards and nine touchdowns through two games. While he’ll be without the services of Antonio Brown who just hit the IR/COVID-19 list, it shouldn’t make much of a difference. However, his job could be made all the more easier or harder dependent upon how his running backs deal with running into a front wall spearheaded by none other than Aaron Donald. Through two games, the Rams have been charitable against the rush in allowing over 121 yards per game at 4.7 yards per carry. This could be a good spot for Ronald Jones to finally go off; provided he doesn’t cut off his nose to spite his face with more turnovers. If Tampa Bay is able to force LA to account for Jones and Leonard Fournette, there won’t be a thing Jalen Ramsey or the rest of his secondary mates will be able to do to prevent the champs from piling up the points.
Free ATS Pick
I literally fell out of my desk chair when I saw the Rams favored on the look-ahead lines for this contest. Then I busted out laughing when linemakers opened the lines back up once a bulk of the Week 2 action was in the book. You’re seriously going to give me a plus-money return on a team that hasn’t gone down in defeat since the end of November last season? Sure, I’ll bite! While the market corrected itself and the Bucs are now installed the short favorite, I still have no reservations whatsoever about laying the short number. Tampa Bay is the better team regardless of escaping with a win in Week 1 and pulling away late last week. I’m just not sold on the Rams defense or its offensive line being able to give Stafford the time he’ll need to pick apart what’s been the weak link of the Bucs defense. In the GOAT we trust; until next week
NFL Pick: Buccaneers 30, Rams 20
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
