Sunday Night Football Picks: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams

by Mike Allen - 11/20/2025

This Sunday's NFL action, unlike last week, has only a couple of high-profile games on the docket. The matchup on Sunday Night Football, though, between Baker Mayfield and Matt Stafford is undoubtedly one of them and always must-see TV.

It's unfortunate we don't get to see the Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime. Mayfield vs Stafford is even better. Throw in some Vita Vea clogging up the middle, and Rams' running back Kyren Williams doing his best to bust through it.

We also have one of, if not the best, defensive lines in all of football in LA. Led by second-year starter Jared Verse, they're almost sure to give Mayfield a hard time.

Los Angeles is coming off their biggest win of the season. They picked him off four times, but still had to hold off Sam Darnold at the end of the game. Where was the command over his players at the end of the game? The linemen were so lackadaisical in what was essentially a 1-minute drill, but they only needed a field goal for the win.

It wasn’t a big comeback for LA, but it was a massive game that came down to the wire. The Rams’ response this week after such an emotional matchup will tell us if this team is ready for the Super Bowl.

On the other side, 2025 has been a silent disaster for the Tampa Bay Bucs. Injury after injury to some of their key players has kept them out of the conversation for elite teams. Ol’ Tom Brady hasn’t minded putting him in his top 5 power rankings most of the season. I always thought that was a bit of a stretch.

Just look at the betting odds for this week. Even with this being a potential letdown spot for LA, they’re laying 6.5 and even 7 points at some sportsbooks.

We can't really say that LA has much of a home-field advantage, but they are at home, which is 2,200 air miles west-northwest of T-Town. Trips east can be more taxing, but any time you get on a plane and go up for a few hours, your body is gonna feel it.

These guys aren't trying to squeeze into 6 inches of leg room like most of us in economy, but it still works on you.

If you think I’m reaching here, that’s fine. There are several other more important reasons why the Tampa Bay Bucs might get blown out on Sunday Night Football against the LA Rams. More on that below.

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6.5) at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5)

We opened up at (-6), which is below a touchdown, but 6 is still a key number. Behind 7 and 3, it’s the most common margin of victory in any given NFL matchup. So, if you like LA, we are still getting them under a touchdown here, but just know that (-5.5) would be far better.

Point Total: 49.5

One would expect a shootout here, and with Mayfield’s 4th quarter prowess, heck, both QBs in the 4th, I want nothing to do with a point total under the key number of 51.

Moneyline Odds

Buccaneers: +270

Rams: -350

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams Betting Analysis

We mentioned that 2025 has been an injury-riddled season for Tampa, and honestly, they may have gotten that bug worse than any team in the league this year.

The defense looks to be reasonably healthy, but that has never been this team's identity. They're a run and gun squad with some of the most firepower on offense than anyone else in the league.

Imagine if Tampa had Mike Evans healthy every week. He’s been as injured as he’s been dominant the past couple of seasons.

The news about Bucky Irving was just released this morning. Tampa will be without their namesake for yet another week. Just those two guys right there would move this line probably all the way to 3.5.

It's not just their two biggest offensive weapons. Three of their top four wide receivers who are active are listed as questionable. Four out of the five starting offensive linemen are also questionable.

I can see Tampa shutting down the run in the 1st half. Here's the thing with LA, though. They would like to run to pass, but they don't have to run the ball to open up action through the air. They're good enough to do either.

At the end of the day, it's just too many injuries here for Tampa. I certainly don't want to give Mayfield 6 points, but the pass rush might prove to be too much down the stretch. The Bucs' QB is banged up, too. He's been missing throws for weeks now.

They may even take him out of the game if it gets out of hand just to protect him.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams Betting Pick

Pick: LA Rams (-6.5)

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Start:	November 23, 2025 @ 11:00 PM
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Sunday Night Football Picks: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams

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