Buccaneers @ Rams

What will be the GAME RESULT?

Buccaneers: Win or Single Digit Loss

@ Rams: Win By Double Digits

Current odds (to win):

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (+375)

Los Angeles Rams: (-500)

• The line for this game is Rams by 9.5 points.

• The Los Angeles Rams are one of a handful of unbeaten teams heading into Week 4, but their potent offense has yet to click as it did in last year’s Super Bowl run. They’ll try to get some more points on the board and improve to 4-0 for the second straight season when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. Los Angeles is in the middle of the pack in the NFL with 357.7 yards per game — about 65 fewer than its 2018 average — and it didn’t reach the end zone until the third quarter in last week’s 20-13 win at Cleveland. “Offensively, our standards are so high,” quarterback Jared Goff, who has thrown four touchdowns and three interceptions so far, told reporters this week. “We expect to be better and we need to be if we want to win games late in the year and continue to be competitive.”

• The Buccaneers are coming off a painful collapse at home to the New York Giants, who erased an 18-point halftime deficit to steal a 32-31 win at Tampa Bay. A pair of unsuccessful extra points and a late miss on a 34-yard field goal by Matt Gay hurt the Buccaneers’ in the end, but head coach Bruce Arians told the media that the kicker “ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

• The bright spot in last Sunday’s loss was Jameis Winston rediscovering his connection with star wide receiver Mike Evans, who erupted for 190 receiving yards and three touchdowns after being held to just six catches for 89 yards through the first two games. Also of note was the continued dominance of Shaquil Barrett after the sixth-year linebacker recorded four sacks to boost his NFL-leading total to eight. “I just wanted a chance to prove my worth,” Barrett told reporters of Tampa Bay signing him to a one-year deal this offseason. “Any interest is better than no interest. I’m just happy that somebody wanted me. That’s all I wanted — somebody to want me, to feel wanted and to come down here and try to earn a spot.”

• A notable aspect of Los Angeles’ ho-hum offensive attack has been the relative lack of use for star running back Todd Gurley, who is on pace for 234.7 carries after averaging 271 over the past three years. “You want to get Todd Gurley involved as much as possible but sometimes I’m not going to force the run versus certain looks,” coach Sean McVay told reporters while stressing that Gurley is not on a load management program and that he’d like to get him 25 touches this week. “As much as you want to get him involved, I think the big underlying theme is let’s just be more efficient offensively and I think everybody will end up benefiting from that.” Backup Malcolm Brown is averaging 4.8 yards per carry in 20 attempts and three wide receivers have chipped in eight carries for 59 yards.

• Rams WR Cooper Kupp has 16 catches for 221 yards over his last two games.

• Winston recorded season highs with 380 passing yards and three TDs last week.

• The Rams have won five straight meetings, including a 37-32 triumph at Tampa Bay in 2016 in which Gurley ran for two scores and Winston threw for a career-high 405 yards.