The first NFL Divisional Round playoff game on Sunday is a spectacular NFC matchup between the star-studded Los Angeles Rams and the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Bucs as Tom Brady & Co. look to keep their repeat hopes alive.

This will be the fifth time that teams from the same division will meet with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line in the past 25 seasons. It last happened following the 2013 season when the Seahawks beat the 49ers in the NFC title game.

San Francisco wouldn’t even have been in the playoffs if not for a 27-24 overtime win at the Rams in Week 18. L.A. blew a 17-0 halftime lead – Coach Sean McVay’s first loss with a halftime lead as a head coach. Robbie Gould hit the winning 24-yard field goal with 2:45 left in OT. On the next possession, the Rams’ Matthew Stafford was picked off. Jauan Jennings caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo with 26 seconds left in regulation for the 49ers to tie it.

NitroBetting presents a comprehensive preview of the Rams vs. Buccaneers game down below. Find event details, team and player stats, the latest NFL betting odds, trends, and predictions.

49ers vs. Rams Game Information

• When: Sunday, January 30, 2022, 6:30 PM ET
• Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
• TV: FOX
• Radio: KSAN 107.7 FM The Bone (49ers) / ESPN LA 710 AM (Rams)
• Live Stream: NFL Network, NFL League Pass
• NFL Odds: 49ers (+3.5) / Rams (-3.5)

READ MORE: Bengals vs. Chiefs 2022 AFC Championship Odds, Preview & Pick

Why Bet on the San Francisco 49ers?

The Niners were 13-10 upset winners in Green Bay on Saturday in the Divisional Round despite not scoring an offensive touchdown. Gould made a 45-yard field goal as time expired. Gould has now made all 20 of his career playoff field-goal attempts. The Niners had tied it 10-10 on a blocked punt returned for a TD with just under five minutes left.

Pro Bowl Niners linebacker Fred Warner played through injury but was terrific. He allowed just one reception on three targets in coverage for zero yards. He also notched two run stops and a critical forced fumble against Green Bay tight end Marcedes Lewis that was recovered by fellow linebacker Dre Greenlaw. End Nick Bosa left the Wild-Card win over Dallas with a head injury but was back vs. Green Bay and had five quarterback pressures, including two sacks and three hurries against Aaron Rodgers, and a forced fumble.

This will be the 17th conference championship appearance for the 49ers, the most by any team since conferences were formed in the 1970 merger. The 49ers had been tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers forced Matthew Stafford into four of his 17 interceptions this season. In his six career games against the 49ers, Stafford has thrown five picks (his teams went 1-5 in those games).

Why Bet on the Los Angeles Rams?

The Rams were 30-27 upset winners at Tampa Bay on Sunday – but did blow a 27-3 lead and lost four fumbles. Los Angeles was trying to score a late touchdown in the first half off of a Tom Brady interception but Akers coughed up the ball near the goal line. He was flipped forward while being tackled and lost the football a fraction of a second before hitting the ground. Then, as the Bucs were in the middle of a huge comeback effort, Akers gave it away a second time. This one came less than 25 yards from his own end zone, setting up the Bucs for a game-tying touchdown.

Stafford completed 28-of-38 passes for 366 yards and two touchdowns. Stafford added a sneak at the one-yard line for another touchdown. Tied with less than a minute left, Stafford completed two passes for 64 yards to set up a game-winning field goal by Matt Gay. Cooper Kupp’s 183 receiving yards accounted for exactly half of Stafford’s 366 passing yards, and his nine receptions nearly one-third of Stafford’s 28 completions.

Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, there have been 22 instances of a team winning both regular-season games and then meeting a third time in the postseason. One of the teams has completed a three-game sweep 14 times, most recently in 2017 when the Saints swept the Panthers. The 2020 Saints are the most recent team to lose the third matchup after winning the first two as they fell to the Bucs in last year’s playoffs.

49ers vs. Rams Betting Trends

• 49ers are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 road games.
• 49ers are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
• The total went under in 6 of San Francisco’s last 7 games.
• Rams are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games following a ATS win.
• Rams are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 playoff games.
• The total went under in 4 of LA Rams’ last 6 games against San Francisco.

49ers vs. Rams Expert Betting Predictions

2022 NFC Championship Pick: Niners cover

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.