Tampa Bay vs LA Rams +1.5 O/U 55.5
This is the best game of the week with two potential super bowl teams facing off at the new SoFi stadium in LA. The Bucs have showed well beating the Cowboys and Falcons but their yardage doesn’t look so good on paper being out-gained in total yards so far and benefitting from turnovers. Both of these teams are pretty healthy so there should be no big edge there but I think that the Rams had the harder schedule up this this point and their stats show a bit better than the Buccaneers. My power ratings has this game the Rams by 1 point if you give them 2.5 points for home field but I think we can’t ignore what happened last year where the Rams went into Tampa and opened up a can of whoopass on them. Tampa bay has some of the best weapons in football, but the Rams have the best pass defense and should be able to contain the big plays from Godwin and Evans. Antonio Brown is out for the Bucks so I expect a heavy dose of Scottie Miller which has to be looked at as a downgrade. The Bucs have no answer for Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods and now that the Rams have a better QB, they will have a lot more of the field to work with. That 27-24 final score last year when the Rams won in Tampa was misleading because the Rams were up by double digits most of this game until garbage time. Jason Pierre Paul will be out for the Bucs and that will hurt their pass rush on Stafford. I think that McVeigh wins this matchup at home.
Rams +1.5 is the play for 2 stars
Green Bay vs San Francisco -3.5 O/U 50
- If Bucs/Rams is the best game of the week then Packers/49ers is the second best.
- My handicap on this game used to be that the Packers can’t stop the run and Rodgers can’t win in California but that has since changed.
- Green Bay made a move this year for Devondre Campbell at inside linebacker and it has actually worked out ok thus far being at least average at stopping the run.
- Last year, the 49ers were injured but the Packers got that monkey off their back by beating them at Levi Stadium by double digits.
- The 49ers are another team with some serious injury problems where the Packers can hurt them. They lost cornerback Jason Verrett the 1st game of the season and now Emmanuel Moseley is questionable. Not good for defending the pass.
- Let’s not forget that the 49ers are very banged up at running back and I think this year Matt Lefleur will challenge Jimmy Garopollo to beat them passing the ball. This isn’t good for the 49ers.
- My power ratings has the Packers the better football team here by 2.25 points and this game should be closer to a pickem especially with those injuries.
Packers +3.5 – 2.5 stars
Refuse To Lose 6pt Teaser is 1-1 (total premium teasers are 2-1) – Buffalo to -1.5 with Arizona -1.5 – 2 stars
