The Los Angeles Rams will face a team with a winning record for the third week in a row after taking down the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in the last two weeks. Up next are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who own a 6-4 record to lead the NFC South.
These teams became very familiar with each other from 2019-2022 when they met five times, but they didn’t square off in the last two seasons so this will be the first time Baker Mayfield faces his former team.
Here are eight stats and facts to know about this Week 12 Sunday night matchup at SoFi Stadium.
Buccaneers struggle badly in the red zone
The Buccaneers are one of the worst red zone teams in the NFL. They rank 25th in touchdown rate on offense and 26th defensively, allowing opponents to find the end zone 64% of the time when they get inside the 20. That could prove to be a big difference in this game against a Rams team that’s eighth offensively and second on defense in the red zone.
Rams and Buccaneers are top 3 in turnover differential
Neither of these teams turns the ball over very much, and they both take it away often. The Rams rank seventh with only eight turnovers and second with 18 takeaways, while the Bucs are fourth with seven giveaways and fifth with 16 takeaways.
In terms of turnover differential, the Rams are plus-10 and the Bucs are plus-9, ranking second and third, respectively.
Only two teams blitz more than the Bucs
The Buccaneers are the polar opposite of the Rams’ Week 11 opponent, the Seahawks. Tampa Bay blitzes 31.1% of the time, according to Pro Football Reference, which is the third-highest rate in the NFL. The Seahawks only blitz 18.7% of the time, fifth-lowest. Matthew Stafford should be prepared to see extra rushers sent at him throughout this game on Sunday.
Rams and Bucs are tied for third-most INTs
The only teams with more interceptions than the Rams and Buccaneers, who have 10 each, are the Bears (15) and Jaguars (13). The Rams had four picks alone in Week 11 against the Seahawks, nearly doubling their season total, but they’ve got a secondary full of ball hawks – even with Ahkello Witherspoon and now Quentin Lake out.
Each team allows 100 rushing yards per game
Both of these run defenses have been great all year. The Bucs only allow 100.4 yards per game on the ground and the Rams give up 100.7 per game, ranking them 10th and 11th, respectively. It could be tough sledding for both teams on Sunday, especially considering they’re each averaging only 4.2 yards per carry this season.
Rams are 3-2 vs. Buccaneers under Sean McVay
The Rams have faced the Buccaneers five times under McVay, with the first game coming in 2019 and the most recent in 2022. They played all five games in that four-year span but haven’t played since 2022. Los Angeles is 3-2 in those games, including a divisional round playoff win over Tom Brady’s team in January 2022.
Baker Mayfield is 2-10 all-time vs. NFC West
Mayfield has not had much success against the NFC West in his career, going 2-10 in 12 games against the division. He’s 0-1 against the Rams, 1-2 against the Seahawks, 0-3 against the Cardinals and 1-4 against the 49ers, so it’s Los Angeles that he’s faced the fewest times.
Matthew Stafford is 2-10 all-time on SNF
Stafford has played on Sunday Night Football 12 times since being drafted, struggling in those prime-time games – even as a member of the Rams. He’s just 2-10 on SNF, going 1-4 with the Rams and 1-6 with the Lions. His one win with the Rams was the 2021 season opener, a 34-14 victory in his debut with the team. Since then, he’s lost to the Lions twice, the Eagles once and the Titans once.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 8 stats and facts to know for Rams vs. Buccaneers in Week 12
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
