The 6-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are preparing for another turn on the prime-time stage, as they head to Los Angeles in Week 12 to take on the 8-2 Rams, winners of five in a row. The game at SoFi Stadium is scheduled for Sunday, November 23, with kickoff set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Both teams are in first place in their respective divisions, though only by one game for the Rams and half a game for the Bucs. The Tampa Bay-L.A. tilt that finishes the NFL's Sunday slate is the only one that day that pits two NFC teams with winning records against each other.
Both the Bucs and Rams are in the NFL's top 10 in scoring but the Rams also have the league's second-best scoring defense. The two teams are also second and third in interception rate on offense, while the Rams also boast the third-best sack rate this season, with Matthew Stafford being dropped just 14 times through 10 games. The Los Angeles defense has been very good on third downs while the Bucs continue to be one of the hardest teams to run against. Here's how the Buccaneers and Rams stack up against each other for their Week 12 meeting in Inglewood, California:
When Tampa Bay Has the Ball:
| Buccaneers Offense | Category | Rams Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 17th (332.2) | Net Yards Per Game | 13th (323.0) |
| 18th (5.32) | Yards Per Play | 7th (4.96) |
| 10th (25.2) | Points Per Game | 2nd (17.2) |
| 22nd (110.0) | Rushing Yards Per Game | 11th (100.7) |
| 15th (222.2) | Passing Yards Per Game | 21st (222.3) |
| 15th (38.9%) | Third Down Percentage | 5th (34.6%) |
| 10th (5.88%) | Sacks Per Pass Play | 16th (7.42%) |
| 3rd (0.88%) | Interception Percentage | 8th (2.75%) |
| 25th (51.7%) | Red Zone Touchdown Pct. | 2nd (43.8%) |
When Los Angeles Has the Ball:
| Rams Offense | Category | Buccaneers Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 8th (360.9) | Net Yards Per Game | 22nd (342.0) |
| 7th (5.79) | Yards Per Play | 24th (5.63) |
| 6th (27.2) | Points Per Game | 21st (25.0) |
| 18th (114.0) | Rushing Yards Per Game | 10th (100.4) |
| 6th (246.9) | Passing Yards Per Game | 27th (241.6) |
| 17th (38.7%) | Third Down Percentage | 17th (39.8%) |
| 3rd (4.13%) | Sacks Per Pass Play | 14th (7.65%) |
| 2nd (0.59%) | Interception Percentage | 6th (2.94%) |
| 8th (64.4%) | Red Zone Touchdown Pct. | 26th (64.0%) |
Advantage Buccaneers: Rush Defense
Two long touchdown runs by Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson in Week 10 punished the Bucs' run defense numbers, but they still rank 10th in the league in that category, allowing 100.4 yards per game. Last week in Buffalo, the Bills were held to 97 rushing yards, and 40 of those came on scrambles by quarterback Josh Allen. Star running back James Cook, who came into the game averaging more than 100 rushing yards per game, was held to 48 yards and an average of 3.0 per carry. The longest run allowed by Tampa Bay's defense in that contest was a 12-yard Allen jaunt. The Rams also have a talented runner in Kyren Williams, who has 750 yards and an average of 4.7 per tote, but overall the team is just 18th in the NFL in rushing, with 114.0 yards per game.
Advantage Rams: Pass Protection
As noted above, the Rams' offensive line has done a great job of keeping Stafford upright in his 17th season, which has led to him racking up 27 touchdown passes and a 112.8 passer rating. L.A.'s sacks allowed per pass play is just 4.13%, which is the third-best mark in the league. The Rams' offensive line did take a hit this week when starting right tackle Rob Havenstein was placed on injured reserve, but it's still a talented and rugged group anchored by left tackle Alaric Jackson and right guard Kevin Dotson. The Rams have also made good use of three-TE sets in 2025, which can make it hard to get at the passer. The Bucs' pass rush has dried up the past two weeks, accounting for just one sack combined in losses to the Patriots and Rams. That group is likely to be without Haason Reddick again on Sunday night, and rotational edge rusher Chris Braswell is also a question mark thanks to a foot injury.
X-Factor: Battle on the Edges
Among the many hits the Rams have made in recent drafts to rebuild their defensive front after Aaron Donald's retirement are Byron Young in the third round in 2023 and Jared Verse in the first round in 2024. Verse won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award last season after ranking fourth among all players in quarterback pressures, and he's been just as dominant in 2025. Young and Verse have combined for 13.0 sacks and 73 quarterback pressures through 10 games, bringing relentless pressure off the edges. That said, the Buccaneers can counter with an elite pair of blockers on the edge since the return of right tackle Luke Goedeke from a foot injury. Goedeke and left tackle Tristan Wirfs form one of the best tackle duos in the NFL and they helped Baker Mayfield avoid being sacked in Buffalo until the Bucs' very last offensive snap last Sunday. The battle between the Young-Verse tandem and the Bucs' physical tackles should be one of the most hotly contested competitions on Sunday night.
