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The Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were both outstanding in their respective Wild Card games this past weekend. They will face off at 3 p.m ET on Sunday, January 23 in the Divisional Round of the 2022 NFL Playoffs.
How the Rams and Buccaneers made it to Divisional round
The end of Los Angeles’ regular season was highlighted by nerve-racking games and mistake-prone quarterback play. But in the Wild Card round, the Rams were just about perfect in their dismantling of the Cardinals, 34-11. L.A.’s defense overwhelmed Kyler Murray all evening long while Matthew Stafford made good decisions en route to his first career playoff victory. Stafford needed to throw just 17 passes and completed 13 of them for 202 yards and touchdowns to Odell Beckham Jr. and Cooper Kupp. Running back Cam Akers handled the majority of the carries, rushing 17 times for 55 yards. It was a strong showing by an RB who is just six months removed from an Achilles tear.
The Buccaneers closed the year by putting up 30 points in seven of their last eight regular-season games, and they kept that trend going with a 31-15 victory over the Eagles in the Wild Card round. Tom Brady went 29-for-37 through the air for 271 yards and two touchdowns in a game that, like the Rams’ win, was effectively over by halftime. Running backs Giovani Bernard and Ke’Shawn Vaughn tallied a rushing TD. Tampa Bay’s defense shut out Philadelphia through three quarters and has given up just 14.2 points per game over its past five.
How to watch Rams-Buccaneers
Date: Sunday, January 23
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
TV channel: NBC
Live stream: NBC Live, NBC Sports Live, Yahoo! Sports app (free)
Opening odds Rams vs. Buccaneers
Current point spread: Bucs -3
Current point total: 48.5
Current moneyline: Bucs -150, Rams +130 (opened at Bucs -160, Rams +140)