Rams vs. Buccaneers NFL Week 9 odds, trends: Tampa Bay would finish Under preseason win total of 11.5 with loss

When the 2022 NFL season kicked off, the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams were +500 second favorites to repeat as NFC champions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were +330 favorites to win the conference. Entering Sunday's matchup between the clubs in Tampa, both are under .500 and the Bucs would clinch a record Under their preseason win total with a loss. Tampa Bay is -3 at Caesars Sportsbook.

The Bucs have to win out to finish Over their preseason win total of 11.5. Tom Brady has won double-digit games each season since 2008, when he was lost for the year in Week 1. Now he's two games under .500 for the first time in his in career as a starter. His six-game against-the-spread losing streak is a career high. The Rams, meanwhile, are looking to avoid going two games under .500 for the first time under coach Sean McVay (since 2017).

Offense has been the problem for both teams. The Bucs rank 25th in points per game (18.3) and the Rams rank 28th (16.9). They have the two worst rushing offenses in the NFL. L.A.'s PPG mark is its lowest in a seven-game span under McVay and the fewest by defending champion through seven games since the 1991 Giants (16.9).

Brady is 0-3 straight-up and ATS against the Rams since joining the Bucs. It's his second-longest SU losing streak against any team in his career after a four-game skid vs. the Broncos from 2005-09.

Tampa Bay will be without one of its best defensive players for the rest of the season in pass-rusher Shaq Barrett. He was placed on injured reserve Monday with a torn Achilles tendon that will take at least nine months to heal after being hurt in Week 8. Barrett has 40.5 sacks since joining the Bucs in 2019. Anthony Nelson is expected to start at outside linebacker moving forward.

Los Angeles expects to have All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Kupp injured his ankle near the end of the Rams' Week 8 loss to the 49ers when he was tackled after making a catch late in the fourth quarter. Kupp has 64 catches for 686 yards and five scores. He's +650 to lead the league in receiving yards again, +175 to be tops in receptions and +650 to lead in receiving TDs.

Ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, the Rams reportedly offered two first-round draft picks for Panthers pass-rusher Brian Burns but were turned down, even though Burns is set to hit free agency. The Rams also were expected to trade running back Cam Akers, but they didn't. He hasn't played in the past two games as the team tried to find a deal for him.

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