Kickoff: Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET
Line: St. Louis -1.0, Total: 41.5

The Buccaneers will be looking to keep their slim playoff chances alive when they face the Rams in St. Louis on Thursday.

Tampa Bay dropped a brutal home game against New Orleans on Sunday and the team will like need to win out in order to have a shot at making the postseason. The Bucs lost the game 24-17 as six-point favorites, but they have still won three of their past five both SU and ATS. The Rams, meanwhile, had lost five straight games before taking down the Lions 21-14 as three-point home underdogs on Sunday. St. Louis rushed for 203 yards in that game and will need to punish the Bucs on the ground in this game. Both teams have gone Under frequently as of late, as the Buccaneers have gone Under the total in three straight and the Rams have gone Under the total in four straight. Over the past three seasons, the Rams are 2-0 both SU and ATS when facing the Buccaneers. They are also 3-1 SU against the Bucs when playing in St. Louis since 1992. One thing favoring Tampa Bay coming into this game is the fact that the team is facing a Rams squad that is 23-39 ATS after gaining 150 or less passing yards in its previous game since 1992. The Rams are, however, 18-4 ATS in home games versus teams that are averaging 5.65 or more yards per play in the second half of the season since 1992.

The Buccaneers really needed a victory over the Saints last game, but they did not play well enough on either side of the ball. Defensively, Tampa allowed New Orleans to run the ball far too successfully. Tim Hightower gashed the Buccaneers defense and they will need to make sure they correct those issues with Todd Gurley coming up next. Offensively, Jameis Winston will need to be a lot better as well. Winston threw for just 182 yards against the league’s worst defense a week ago and the team needed him to be more of a playmaker in that loss. His receivers dropped a number of catchable passes, but he still must find more ways to put his team in a better position to win. One thing that Tampa might consider doing is pounding the ball with Doug Martin. Martin has rushed for 1,214 yards and five touchdowns this season, but he only got 11 carries against the Saints. He rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on those limited touches and it was inexplicable how little usage he received in the second half.

The Rams were able to snap their losing streak and it likely would not have been possible without Todd Gurley. The rookie was a monster on the ground, rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries versus the Lions. Gurley did leave the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, but he is supposed to be ready to go on Thursday. He’ll be looking forward to facing this Tampa defense that really struggled against the run a week ago. Defensively, the Rams will need to force Jameis Winston to make some mistakes. One player that could help do that is Trumaine Johnson. The corner has five interceptions on the year and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. A big game from him could really help St. Louis on Thursday.