Rams at Buccaneers: Week 17 preview, odds and injuries

Week 17 · Sun, Jan 3 · Raymond James Stadium12 AM ET

at12 AMET · TBD

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 5:10 PM ET

The Los Angeles Rams (5-4) visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6) on Sun, Jan 3, time TBD at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL (Week 17, 2026 season).

When and where is Rams vs Buccaneers?

Sun, Jan 3, time TBD at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.

Who is injured for Rams vs Buccaneers?

Rams: Puka Nacua (WR, doubtful, knee - mcl), Joe Cardona (LS, questionable, ankle), Steve Avila (G, questionable, hamstring) and Trent McDuffie (CB, questionable, back). Buccaneers: Yaya Diaby (LB, out, knee - mcl) and Antoine Winfield Jr. (S, questionable, ankle).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Rams at Buccaneers: Week 17 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2027-01-03-lar-at-tb (updated 2026-11-10).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 16 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Rams pass defense vs Buccaneers dropback offense
The Rams' pass defense ranks 6th in EPA per dropback (-0.07 allowed, 331 dropbacks faced) and faces a Buccaneers dropback offense ranked 30th (-0.20, 293 dropbacks).
30thTB offense24 spots apart6thLAR defense
2Rams pass protection vs Buccaneers pass rush
The Rams' pass protection ranks 4th in sack rate (3.6% sacked, 366 dropbacks) against a Buccaneers pass rush ranked 26th (5.1% of dropbacks, 335 dropbacks faced).
4thLAR offense22 spots apart26thTB defense
3Rams third-down defense vs Buccaneers third-down offense
The Rams' third-down defense ranks 3rd in third-down conversion rate (32.5% allowed, 114 third downs faced) and faces a Buccaneers third-down offense ranked 23rd (37.1%, 124 third downs).
23rdTB offense20 spots apart3rdLAR defense

When the Rams have the ballEdge TB · +15 ranks

LAR dropback offenseEPA per dropbackTB pass defense

17th+0.06366 dropbacks

TB +15

-0.17 allowed335 dropbacks faced2nd

LAR run gameEPA per rushTB run defense

4th+0.01228 rushes

-0.16 allowed180 rushes faced5th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Buccaneers have the ballEdge LAR · +24 ranks

TB dropback offenseEPA per dropbackLAR pass defense

30th-0.20293 dropbacks

LAR +24

-0.07 allowed331 dropbacks faced6th

TB run gameEPA per rushLAR run defense

10th-0.01263 rushes

LAR +8

-0.18 allowed217 rushes faced2nd

Third downEdge LAR · +20 ranks

LAR third-down offensethird-down conversion rateTB third-down defense

10th42.6%108 third downs

34.5% allowed113 third downs faced6th

TB third-down offensethird-down conversion rateLAR third-down defense

23rd37.1%124 third downs

LAR +20

32.5% allowed114 third downs faced3rd

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge LAR · +19 ranks

LAR red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateTB red-zone defense

4th67%36 trips

48% allowed23 trips faced7th

TB red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateLAR red-zone defense

25th50%30 trips

LAR +19

45% allowed29 trips faced6th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge TB · +20 ranks

LAR big-play offenseexplosive-play rateTB defense against big plays

24th8.1%594 plays

TB +20

7.2% allowed515 plays faced4th

TB big-play offenseexplosive-play rateLAR defense against big plays

12th9.7%556 plays

7.8% allowed548 plays faced10th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge LAR · +22 ranks

LAR pass protectionsack rateTB pass rush

4th3.6% sacked366 dropbacks

LAR +22

5.1% of dropbacks335 dropbacks faced26th

TB pass protectionsack rateLAR pass rush

29th9.2% sacked293 dropbacks

4.8% of dropbacks331 dropbacks faced29th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge TB · +23 ranks

LAR ball securityturnovers per gameTB takeaway defense

24th1.6 giveaways a game9 games

TB +23

2.1 takeaways a game9 games1st

TB ball securityturnovers per gameLAR takeaway defense

24th1.6 giveaways a game9 games

1.1 takeaways a game9 games19th

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesLAR 1 · TB 0 regulars out or doubtful

Rams4 listed

1 of them is a regular ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QTrent McDuffieCB97% defense · 6 wk
QSteve AvilaG91% offense · 9 wk
DPuka NacuaWR87% offense · 7 wk
QJoe CardonaLSno snaps

Buccaneers2 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QAntoine Winfield Jr.S89% defense · 6 wk
OUTYaya DiabyLB53% defense · 8 wk

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelLAR +2 days of rest · LAR travels 2,152 mi

AwayRams

9days since last game

2,152miles to get here

3time zones

Last: Fri wk 16 at SEA · Seattle · 27,408 mi flown this season

Long trip3 time zones

Rest edge+2LAR daysTravel gap 2,152 mi

HomeBuccaneers

7days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 16 at ATL · Atlanta · 6,435 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: LAR 9 games, 594 offensive and 548 defensive plays · TB 9 games, 556 offensive and 515 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32