RAMS (1-1) VS. BUCCANEERS (1-1)
SUNDAY, 4:05 P.M. ET, RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM, TAMPA uTV: FOX, DIRECTV 714
Announcers: Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman, Kristina Pink
About the Rams: It didn’t have nearly the glitz of most Hollywood productions, but their 9-3 win against the Seattle Seahawks was a pretty good opening scene in L.A. The Rams bounced back from the Week 1 debacle to show their new, significantly more tanned fans that they might not be the doormat that they appeared to be a week earlier. DT
and the Los Angeles defense lived up to its preseason billing Sunday, and the Rams have further confidence in that they’ve beaten Tampa Bay for four years in a row. Whether they can make it five, after one of the longest road trips in the NFL, might come down to an offense that has yet to score a touchdown this season. QB managed the game much better in Week 2, but RB has been a non-factor.
The coronation of QB as the NFL’s next great quarterback was put on hold after the secondyear player threw four interceptions in the Week 2 blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams, like Arizona, have a formidable defense that could create problems for Winston, but the good news is that L.A.’s new team doesn’t have much offense, so Winston & Co. won’t have to be great to win this one. The biggest factor in Tampa Bay’s offensive success could be the hamstring of RB He had to come out of the Arizona game, leaving the Bucs with a huge deficit on the scoreboard and without much of a running threat. Winston quickly became easy pickings for the Cardinals.
Johnson, a fifth-year player out of the University of Montana, has shown flashes of big-play ability — such as during the three-game stretch late last season in which he intercepted four passes. One of those games was a 31-23 win against the Bucs, a game in which Evans exposed Johnson and the Rams for 157 yards on nine receptions. Johnson will be motivated to fare better in the rematch.
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
The Bucs held him to 48 rushing yards last year in the Rams’ final game in St. Louis, and he hasn’t found many holes over the first two weeks of this season. Gurley has averaged 2.7 yards per carry and has yet to break 100 yards for the season.
The franchises met seven times over the 17 seasons between 1995 and 2011, but a scheduling quirk has led to the Bucs and Rams squaring off each of the last four years — and the Rams have won all four.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. The NFL’s best running back? With the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson injured, the title is up for grabs — and neither Martin nor Gurley has been able to get going. Martin’s hamstring injury is a further blow to the Bucs offense, while Gurley hasn’t gotten room to run.
The Tampa Bay offense turned the ball over five times against Arizona. Taking care of the football will be a priority this weekend because the Rams defense is opportunistic. Keenum needs to be mistake-free to give L.A. a chance.
Whenever the Rams are playing, it’s likely to be an offensive struggle on both sides of the ball. Los Angeles isn’t likely to score many points against anyone — the Rams are still looking for their first touchdown — so Sunday’s game might be one in which the first team to reach double digits wins.
Scott Johnson