The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks delivered a thriller on Thursday Night Football in Week 16, and for fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the result could have major postseason consequences - even if it didn’t involve them directly.
The Rams looked to be in full control, up 30-14 in the fourth quarter. But in a stunning collapse, they let Seattle claw all the way back and eventually steal a 38-37 overtime win. That swing doesn’t just shake up the NFC West standings - it could reshape the entire NFC playoff picture, and Tampa Bay is right in the middle of that ripple effect.
Here’s why it matters for the Bucs: with that comeback win, the Seahawks now control their own destiny in the NFC West. If they win out, they’ll take the division and snag a first-round bye.
That would push the Rams into a wild card spot - likely the No. 5 seed - and set up a potential first-round matchup with the eventual No. 4 seed. If Tampa Bay manages to hold on and win the NFC South for the fifth straight year, that No. 4 seed could very well be theirs.
And that’s where things get dicey.
A Bucs-Rams playoff matchup is the kind of scenario Tampa Bay fans have come to dread. Since Todd Bowles joined the team as defensive coordinator in 2019, the Bucs are just 2-4 against Sean McVay’s Rams. That includes a gut-wrenching playoff loss in 2022, Bowles’ first season as head coach, when the Rams broke Tampa Bay hearts with a last-second field goal.
McVay’s offense has consistently gotten the better of Bowles’ defense. In five of those six matchups, the Rams have scored at least 27 points - and they’ve done it with different quarterbacks, different personnel, and in different game scripts.
It’s not just a one-off trend. It’s a pattern.
Earlier this season, the Rams dominated the Bucs in prime time, walking out of Tampa with a 34-7 win on Sunday Night Football. That game wasn’t just a loss - it was a statement.
The Rams looked faster, sharper, and more physical on both sides of the ball. If these two teams meet again in January, it’s hard to ignore how lopsided the recent history has been.
Now, that’s not to say the Seahawks would be a walk in the park. Far from it.
Seattle has been one of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch, and they’ve looked more complete each week. But there’s at least some comfort for Bucs fans in knowing they’ve already beaten the Seahawks once this season - a 38-35 shootout back in Week 5 that felt like a playoff game in itself.
It was one of Tampa Bay’s best performances of the year.
Since then, though, the Bucs have struggled to find consistency. Post-bye week, they’ve looked like a different team - and not in a good way.
The offense has sputtered, the defense has bent more than it should, and the margin for error has shrunk week by week. That makes the prospect of facing a team like the Rams - who seem to have Tampa Bay’s number - all the more daunting.
And it’s not just a recent thing. The Rams have owned this matchup for over a decade.
Since 2012, Tampa Bay is 2-9 against L.A. That’s not just bad luck - that’s a matchup problem.
Of course, the NFL is built on unpredictability. “Any given Sunday” isn’t just a cliché - it’s the reality of postseason football.
The Bucs could absolutely rise to the moment and flip the script. But if the playoff path runs through the Rams in Round 1, it’s hard to imagine a tougher draw for Tampa Bay.
They’ve been haunted by L.A. before, and unless something changes dramatically, they might be staring down another familiar nightmare come January.