Rams-Bucs Post Game Coverage

[RamBill]

If this was it for Rams in St. Louis, offensive outburst a fitting goodbye
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...st-louis-offensive-outburst-a-fitting-goodbye

ST. LOUIS -- If this is where it ends for the Rams in St. Louis, a long-awaited offensive outburst was the ideal farewell.

After a season of wondering when the offense would offer something more than the occasional long Todd Gurley run, the Rams and quarterback Case Keenum finally broke loose against Tampa Bay's woeful pass defense. The St. Louis offense posted a season-high 31 points on the way to a 31-23 victory against the Buccaneers on Thursday night.

In the process, the Rams finished with 319 total yards and scored four offensive touchdowns in a game for the first time this season. Despite a conservative second half geared more toward burning clock than producing yards and points, it was a clear step forward for an offense that has ranked near the bottom of the league in many major categories for most of the season.

It was also a potentially fitting way to say goodbye if indeed this was the Rams' final home game in St. Louis. The Rams haven't had many happy times in their 20-plus years in St. Louis, but the ones they did have were often offense-centric in the heyday of the Greatest Show on Turf.

So it was that with key members of those great offenses such as Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace and Torry Holt in attendance, the Rams offense finally provided some offensive fireworks.

Before the game, I asked former Rams defensive tackle D'Marco Farr what he thought would be an ideal way for the Rams to say goodbye if they are to move to Los Angeles after the season. His answer?

"A blowout victory," Farr said. "This team, this offense turns into the Greatest Show one more time, it may not be (Isaac) Bruce, it may not be Torry Holt, it may not be Marshall but Todd Gurley, Kenny Britt and whoever just scoring a bunch of points, going out that way and maybe a 'bob-n-weave' in the end zone."

There was no such touchdown celebration, it wasn't a blowout and the numbers weren't that close to the days of Warner & Co. But on this night, in this season, it was close enough.

What it means: The Rams have now won two in a row for the second time this season and improved to 6-8. In a mathematical sense, the Rams are technically still in the postseason mix but they need a whole lot to happen to get there, including Seattle losing the rest of its games. In a more realistic sense, it allows the Rams to match their win total of a season ago with two games to play.

Game ball: Keenum. In what was clearly one of the two best performances by a Rams quarterback all season, Keenum took advantage of a sagging Tampa pass defense. Keenum finished 14-of-17 for 234 yards and two touchdowns for a nearly perfect passer rating of 158.0.

One reason to get excited: With the appropriate context that the Rams have beaten the lowly Bucs and Lions in the past two games, offensive coordinator Rob Boras has clearly given this group a boost. It might just be a short-term kick and the offense still isn't even really average or better, but Boras has his group playing at a much higher level. We'll see if it continues, but early returns are mostly positive.

Fantasy watch: There's a good chance the only Ram that got your fantasy consideration this week was Gurley. He didn't have a huge game but did manage to score his ninth touchdown of the season and reached 1,000 rushing yards. He's the first Rams rookie runner to reach that mark since Jerome Bettis in 1993 and joined Bettis and Eric Dickerson as the only two rookies in franchise history to do it. Gurley is also the first Ram to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Steven Jackson in 2012.

What's next: The Rams have some down time this weekend before getting back to work in preparation for a long trip out West to close the season. The Rams will play at Seattle in Week 16, spend the following week in Napa, California, before closing the season at San Francisco.

 

[RamBill]

Fast Start Sends Rams to 31-23 Win Over Bucs
By Myles Simmons

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Fast-Start-Sends-Rams-to-31-23-Win-Over-Bucs/8931a049-c546-4968-a77f-5530a1b75536


ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis got off to an early lead and held it throughout the contest, beating Tampa Bay by a final score of 31-23 on Thursday night at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Rams got the game started well offensively with a long kickoff return followed by a quick scoring drive.

Benny Cunningham returned the opening kick to the St. Louis 43 from a yard deep in the end zone, giving the home team good field position. Then the offense came through with a six-play, 57-yard drive to open the scoring.


Running back Todd Gurley had a couple runs and caught a pass for a 19-yard gain. Then in the red zone, quarterback Case Keenum found wideout Tavon Austin on a quick screen to the left. Kenny Britt and Greg Robinson got good blocks on the outside, and Austin did the rest, using some shifty moves to find the end zone for some quick points.

The Rams didn’t even face a third down on their scoring drive, as the club took an early 7-0 lead.

After a Tampa Bay field goal, St. Louis got right back to work. This time, Austin got the possession going with a 15-yard end around to the right. Then after a seven-yard Tre Mason run, Keenum unleashed a 60-yard deep ball to Britt down the left sideline. The Buccaneers were called for illegal contact, but the wideout called the pass in stride regardless, running into the end zone for the Rams’ second touchdown of the first quarter.


The scoring kept coming, this time with a Gurley touchdown run. The rookie back used his nose for the end zone on 3rd-and-1 at the Tampa Bay three-yard line, stretching the ball out to break the plane for the Rams’ third touchdown of the first half.

St. Louis carried a 21-3 lead into halftime, with the defense limiting the visitors to just 49 yards passing. And defensive tackle Aaron Donald continued his strong string of games, netting two tackles for loss -- one on fourth down to force a turnover on downs -- and a pair of quarterback hits.

In the second half, Tampa Bay put together a long, 12-play drive that finished with a field goal after a Jameis Winston incompletion on 3rd-and-goal from the St. Louis 14.

With the score at 21-6, Rams, the home team didn’t take long to get back on the board to increase the lead. Gurley got the possession started with a nine-yard run, then tight end Jared Cook caught a couple passes to advance the ball into Tampa Bay territory. Then Austin finished the drive off with his second touchdown of the day, taking an end around 21 yards to pay dirt.

The TD gave the Rams a 28-6 lead, and also made Austin the first player to record at least four rushing touchdowns, five reception touchdowns, and a punt return for a touchdown since Gale Sayers in 1964.


The Buccaneers weren’t done, though, scoring a touchdown on a quick four-play, 98-yard drive. Three Winston passes of at least 20 yards moved the ball down the field, and then the quarterback finished it off with a three-yard strike to tight end Luke Stocker for the score. The touchdown cut the Rams’ lead to 28-13.

But another big Cunningham return got the Rams in position to score some response points. The running back fielded the kickoff in the end zone and took the ball 102 yards -- but was tackled just short of the end zone at the Tampa Bay three-yard line. A Greg Zuerlein 19-yard field goal increased St. Louis’ lead to 31-13.

The clubs continued to trade field goals, with the Bucs’ Connor Barth hitting another to make it 31-16. And while the visitors looked like they could get into scoring position midway through the fourth quarter, cornerback Trumaine Johnson halted the opportunity with an interception. The pick marked Johnson’s sixth of the season, and set the Rams’ offense up at their own 32.

The visitors got the ball back with just over four minutes in the contest, and went down the field for a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive. Winston hit his tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins with a nine-yard pass to cut St. Louis’ lead to 31-23.

But the home team recovered the onside kick, and Keenum took a couple knees to secure the victory.

With the win, the Rams improve to 6-8 on the season. They’ll have the weekend off before playing Seattle on Dec. 27.

 

[RamBill]

Case Keenum up, run defense down in Rams' win
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/24945/case-keenum-up-run-defense-down-in-rams-win

ST. LOUIS -- A look at St. Louis Rams players who were "up" and those who were "down" in Thursday night's 31-23 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

UP

Case Keenum: Pass for pass, this might have been the best performance by a Rams quarterback all season, with Nick Foles in the season opener the only real competition. Keenum finished 14-of-17 for 234 yards with two touchdowns on his way to a nearly perfect passer rating of 158.0.

Kenny Britt: Such as it is, Britt has been the Rams' leading receiver for most of the season, though his numbers are far below the league average for a team's leading wideout. But he gave the Rams an early spark with a perfectly run route in the first quarter to score on a 60-yard touchdown that made it 14-3 Rams. He finished with two catches for 71 yards and the score.

Maurice Alexander: Stepping in for T.J. McDonald, who is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, the hometown kid offered a solid performance in his third career start. Alexander finished with seven tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass defended and a quarterback hit, offering more evidence of the Rams' defensive depth.

Jared Cook: The target of much consternation this year, Cook was as sure-handed as he's been all season, finishing with four catches for 64 yards, and even chipped in a few big blocks to help in the running game.

DOWN

The run defense: There wasn't much to be upset about Thursday night if you're a Rams supporter, but the continued struggles of the run defense would certainly qualify. The Rams yielded 146 yards on 27 carries, an average of 5.4 yards per rush. It's the fourth straight game the Rams have given up more than 110 rushing yards and the seventh time in the past eight contests.

 

[VegasRam]

No dog in the fight, but I will say, I'd like the Rams to move to LA so I would never have to read Wagoner's shit ever again.

Or even glance at it like I do now - he is simply horrible. He's nothing but a negative regurgitator.

Fuck you asshole. Never really had a problem with Bernie, Thomas, Lyons, Gordon or Karraker, but this guy should be unemployed.

He makes Simmons look readable, and that's sayin' somethin'. Nothing against Miles, but.....

 

[RamBill]

Rams knock off Bucs 31-23 in prime time
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_5625b9f2-3a7a-5578-a34c-874064cfb523.html

Sporting yellow Color Rush uniforms, the Rams closed out their home schedule in style Thursday night, winning 31-23 over the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the lone prime-time game of the season for both clubs at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Rams (6-8) will close out the season with games at Seattle on Dec. 27 and at San Francisco on Jan. 3.

The Buccaneers, who played Thursday in all red uniforms, are also 6-8.

Tampa Bay's Jameis Winston, the first overall pick in last spring's draft, flashed a bit of his fast-strike ability with completions of 20, 30 and 47 yards to set up a 4-yard touchdown strike to Luke Stocker with 13:05 to play. After a two-point pass was called back for holding, the Bucs' Connor Barth booted the kick to make it 28-13 with 13:05 to play.

On the ensuing kick, the Rams' Benny Cunningham showed some quick-strike ability of his own, coming up with a 102-yard kickoff retrurn to the Bucs' 3. The Rams were unable to punch it in, however, but salvaged the drive with a 19-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein that made it 31-13 with 10:39 left in regulation.

The Rams made another strong defensive stand midway through the final quarter, limiting the Bucs to a 24-yard field from Connor Barth, making it 31-16 with 7:31 to play. The drive reached the St. Louis 1-yard line before a delay-of-game call on Tampa Bay's Austin Seferian-Jenkins pushed the ball back. Four incomplete passes later, Barth made the kick.

With just under five minutes to play, Trumaine Johnson picked off a Winston pass and returned it eight yards to the St. Louis 32. It's his fifth pick this season and the 14th of his four-year NFL career.

With 1:34 to play, Winston threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Seferian-Jenkins to cap a 10-play, 81-yard drive that brought the Buccaneers within a touchdown and two-point conversion at 31-23.

The Rams' Bryce Hager, a rookie drafted in the seventh round last spring, recovered the onside kick and the Rams were able to run out the clock.

RAMS UP 28-6 WITH A QUARTER TO PLAY

The Buccaneers took the second-half kickoff went on a 13-play drive that reached the Rams' 6 before the home defense stiffened and forced Tampa Bay to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Connor Barth that cut the Rams' lead to 21-6 with 9:16 to play in the third quarter.

The Rams answered with a seven-play, 83-yard drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown run by Tavon Austin on a reverse. Guard Cody Wichmann threw a nice downfield block for Austin, who made it 28-6 with 5:35 to play in the third quarter.

The next Buccaneer drive ended with a Doug Martin fumble _ he never had control of the handoff _ that was recovered by Doug Worthington, who was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster earlier Thursday.

RAMS LEAD 21-3 AT THE HALF

The Rams added to their lead just before the two-minute mark of the first half as Todd Gurley reached the 1,000-yard mark when he scored on a 3-yard run with 2:09 to play before halftime to make it 21-3. The up-the-middle run capped a nine-play 75 yard drive that was highlighted by Keenum passes to Austin (13 yards), Jared Cook (17 and 7) and Gurley (12).

The Rams also benefited from a personal foul called on the Bucs' William Gholston for kicking the Rams' Greg Robinson at the end of a Gurley run.

Some halftime numbers:

• Gurley has 26 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, becoming the third Rams' rookie to reach 1,000 yards along with Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson and Jerome Bettis. Keenum has completed 10 of 13 for 175 yards and has thrown touchdown passes to Austin (2 catches, 30 yards) and Kenny Britt (2 catches, 71 yards). Gurley also has two catches for 31 yards.

Safety Rodney McLeod has five tackles to lead the Rams.

• For Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston has completed 6 of 12 for 49 yardrs while workhorse back Doug Martin has 68 yards on 13 carries. Mike Evans has three catches for 36 yards.

RAMS UP 14-3 AFTER A QUARTER

The Rams wasted no time, taking the opening kickoff and marching to the game's initial score on a 17-yard flanker screen from Case Keenum to Tavon Austin with 11:54 to play in the first quarter. Benny Cunningham helped get the Rams off to a strong start, returning the kickoff 44 yards to the Rams' 43.

Key plays on the drive were Keenum passes to Lance Kendricks (11 yards) and Todd Gurley (19 yards).

On the touchdown, Austin made the catch on the left side and scored after cutting to the middle. He received solid blocks from tight end Jared Cook at the line of scrimmage and from tackle Greg Robinson downfield.

The Buccaneers cut into the Rams' lead when Connor Barth booted a 53-yard field goal with 4:52 to play in the opening quarter.

Three plays later, the Rams were on the board again as Keenum hooked up with Kenny Britt on a 60-yard bomb down the left sideline to give the Rams a 14-3 lead with 3:15 to play in the opening quarter. On the stop-and-go play, Tampa Bay cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah grabbed Britt, but the Rams' receiver wouldn't be denied. The three-play drive started with a 15-yard run by Austin on an end-around.

FINAL RAMS' GAME IN ST. LOUIS?

In what could be their final game in St. Louis, the Rams (5-8) host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) Thursday night at the Edward Jones Dome. The game, which closes out the Rams' home schedule, is the final installment of the NFL's Color Rush Series, featuring the Rams in yellow and the Buccaneers in red.

Thursday marks the only prime-time game of the season for Rams and the Buccaneers.

The Rams who snapped a five-game losing skid with a 21-14 win over visiting Detroit on Sunday, will close out the season with road games against Seattle (Dec. 27) and San Francisco (Jan. 3).

Tampa Bay's playoff hopes took a major hit last weekend in a 24-17 home loss to New Orleans.

With wins over the Bucs in 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Rams hold a 14-8 lead in the series. The Rams' overall lead includes a pair of win in the NFC championship games _ 9-0 in 1979 and 11-9 in 1999, the Rams' Super Bowl-winning season.

Since the Rams' move to St. Louis, the teams have split 10 games.

The Rams expect a boost in the secondary with the return of starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins, a fourth-year pro who sat out last week after suffering a concussion in the team's loss to Arizona on Dec. 6.

The Rams made a roster moves Thursday, placing two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn on injured reserve and moving defensive tackle Doug Worthington from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Worthington is active for Thursday's game.

Quinn has been slowed most of the season by a back injury that will require surgery.

On Wednesday, the Rams ruled out offensive lineman Andrew Donnal (knee). Also out due to injury is rookie cornerback Eric Patterson, who suffered an ankle injury last week in his Rams' debut. Other Rams' inactives Thursday are quarterback Sean Mannion, guard/center Brian Folkerts (Hazelwood Central), tackle Isaiah Battle, defensive end Matt Longacre and defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat.

The Buccaneers have ruled out wide receiver Vincent Jackson (knee) and DT Akeem Spence (ankle). Jackson is the team's third-leading receiver with 33 catches, 543 yards and three touchdowns. Spence, a third-year pro out of the University of Illinois, missed the start of the season with a back injury but had started the last seven games.

Also inactive for the Bucs are linebacker Bruce Carter (knee), defensive end George Johnson (calf), quarterback Ryan Griffin, tackle Demar Dotson and tight end Brandon Myers.

 

[RamBill]

Rams feel the rush in win over Bucs
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_e4dfddd0-59cc-56de-a60f-aa25bd4666dd.html

Well, if this was it for the Rams in St. Louis, they went out in style Thursday at the Edward Jones Dome.

Maybe it was those bright yellow “Color Rush” uniforms that brought them to life.

Maybe it was the sight of several Rams greats Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk _ working the game for the NFL Network. As well as Orlando Pace, Torry Holt, and Aeneas Williams, who were also in the house.

Or maybe the Rams simply have clicked _ finally _ on offense with new coordinator Rob Boras calling the plays and Case Keenum making his third start at quarterback.

Whatever the reason, the Rams looked as sharp offensively as they have all season against Tampa Bay’s 11th-ranked defense. The result was a 31-23 victory over the Buccaneers that left the Rams at 6-8 and still mathematically alive for a playoff berth.

All it takes is a win by surging Seattle (8-5) on Sunday against visiting Cleveland (3-10) to eliminate the Rams from postseason consideration for the 11th consecutive season. The team is already assured of its 12th consecutive non-winning season.

Nonetheless it was a fun night for the Rams and their fans.

”It definitely felt good,” said Tavon Austin, who scored two touchdowns and had 73 yards rushing and receiving. “It was a great win. Great team win. We put the work in this week and it paid off.”

Perhaps the West Virginia look to the Rams’ Thursday night uniforms brought out the best in him.

“I had it in me, but great uniforms though,” he said. “I’m glad we were able to perform in them.”

A Facetime live chat with teammate Stedman Bailey before the game helped spur on the Rams as well.

“He told us to go get it _ score one for him,” Austin said. “So one of mine was just for him.”

With the weekend off, Austin and a couple of other Rams players are going to see Bailey, still hospitalized in a Miami hospital recovering from gunshot wounds in a drive-by shooting last month.

The Rams not only threw passes in the first half, but they completed them. And they scored three _ count ‘em, three _ touchdowns in the opening half against Tampa Bay.

Perhaps some of that Warner karma rubbed off on Keenum, because he completed 10 of his first 12 passes Thursday for 175 yards and two touchdowns. With a lead that grew to as much as 28-6 late in the third quarter, the Rams didn’t have to throw much.

Keenum finished up with just 17 passes, completing 14 for 234 yards. With those two TDs and no interceptions, Keenum’s passer rating was 158.0, just short of a perfect rating of 158.3.

Entering the contest, the Rams had thrown only two TD passes in their previous eight contests, dating back to the Green Bay game Oct. 11. Keenum matched that total in the first quarter against the Buccaneers.

On the opening drive of the game, Keenum threw a quick screen to wide receiver Tavon Austin, who behind blocks by Jared Cook and Greg Robinson, scooted 17 yards for his team-high ninth touchdown of the season.

It marked only the third time this season the Rams had scored a touchdown on their first possession of the game. And one of those resulted from a fumbled kickoff return by Arizona deep in Cardinals territory in Game 4.

After a Tampa Bay field goal cut the lead to 7-3, Keenum & Co. struck again. After an end-around by Austin netted 15 yards, and Tre Mason carried seven yards to the St. Louis 40, Keenum connected with Kenny Britt for a 60-yard TD.

Britt got behind Bucs defender Jude Adjei-Barimah with a double-move down the left sideline, giving the Rams a 14-3 lead with 3:15 left in the opening half.

Todd Gurley added seven exclamation points just before the 2-minute warning in the second quarter. Stretching out across the goal line, Gurley matched Austin with his ninth TD of the season, and in the process topped 1,000 yards for the season.

He joins Jerome Bettis (in 1993) and Eric Dickerson (in 1983) as the only Rams rookies in franchise history to top 1,000 yards rushing.

So the Rams took a commanding 21-3 lead into the locker room at halftime. And after spotting the Buccaneers a field goal in the third quarter, the Rams added to the lead.

Austin entered the game with 358 yards rushing, the highest total in the NFL for a wide receiver since Josh Cribbs in 2009. He added to his total with a 21-yard TD on a jet sweep to give the Rams a 28-6 lead. In the process he passed Gurley for the team touchdown lead with his 10th of the season.

Playing with the lead, especially a lead that big, is something the Rams’ overworked defense isn’t used to this season.

“It was awesome,” defensive end William Hayes said. “Our offense did a good job of just staying balanced, moving the chains. It was a beautiful thing, just to see them out there.”

On the other side of the ball, Tampa Bay finished with a deceptive 509 yards. The Buccaneers had only 130 yards at half, so they got a lot of their stats trying to play catch-up ball in the second half.

Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin started quickly. The NFL’s second-leading rusher entering the game with 1,214 yards, Martin had 53 yards in the first quarter, but had only 38 more the rest of the way.

Rookie quarterback Jameis Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, finished with 363 yards passing and two TDs but wasn’t sharp early.

Although he avoided sacks, Winston was bothered by the Rams’ pass rush most of the evening, and was off-target on several attempts.

“In the first half, I didn’t play well enough for us to win,” Winston said. “They were throwing a lot of different things at us. We protected well enough. I’ve just got to make throws.”

There were 51,295 tickets distributed for what could be the Rams’ final home game in St. Louis. That total was in line with every other home game except for Chicago, where bolstered by thousands of Bears fans the ticket total was 58,623.

Maybe 40,000 or so were on hand Thursday, but they had a great time watching the Rams reach 30 points for the first time since a 34-31 season-opening overtime victory over Seattle. They cheered when Rams greats were introduced during timeouts and halftime.

They chanted “Keep the Rams! Keep the Rams!” in hopes the team will stay in St. Louis. And followed that up with “Kroenke (Stinks!) Kroenke (Stinks!)”

Owner Stan Kroenke wants to move the team to Los Angeles next season, and plans to file for relocation in January. The Rams’ final two games are on the road _ at Seattle Dec. 27 and at San Francisco Jan. 3.

Coach Jeff Fisher said he didn’t hear the “Keep the Rams” chants.

“I can appreciate that very much,” Fisher said.

 

[RamBill]

Rams coach Jeff Fisher says Case Keenum’s improved accuracy and communication was key in his team’s win over the Buccaneers. He talks briefly with Steve Savard and D’Marco Farr right after the game.

Listen to Fisher's Post Game Comments

 

[RamBill]

Join reporter Dani Klupenger from the sideline to recap the Thursday Night victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Watch Klupenger's Post Game Report

 

[RamBill]

Head coach Jeff Fisher met with reporters after Thursday’s win over Tampa Bay.

Watch Fisher's Post Game Presser

 

[RamBill]

Check out the top plays from Thursday’s victory over Tampa Bay.

Watch Rams-Bucs Highlights

 

[RamBill]

Quarterback Case Keenum met with reporters after Thursday’s win over the Buccaneers.

Watch Keenum's Presser

 

[DaveFan'51]

Keenum finished 14-of-17 for 234 yards and two touchdowns for a nearly perfect passer rating of 158.0.

Next to Tavon's performance this ^ was fantastic to watch!!

 

[DaveFan'51]

I'd like the Rams to move to LA so I would never have to read Wagoner's crap ever again.

" Ditto!!!!"

 

[RamBill]

Reporter Dani Klupenger talks with Tavon Austin about his two-touchdown performance on Thursday Night Football.

Watch Austin Interview

 

[RamBill]

Case Keenum's big game catches Buccaneers by surprise
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...enums-big-game-catches-buccaneers-by-surprise

ST. LOUIS -- Since St. Louis Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley clearly established himself as the team's primary offensive threat in Week 4, opposing defenses have loaded up to stop him, daring the Rams to throw the ball to win.

More often than not, that dare has paid off. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, that plan didn't work for one of the few times this season. Rams quarterback Case Keenum completed 14 of 17 passes for 234 yards with two touchdowns for a nearly perfect passer rating of 158.0 as the Rams jumped on the Bucs early and cruised to a 31-23 victory.

“That’s something we did not expect," Tampa Bay defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. "I don’t think they ran the ball ... the plays they ran wasn’t anything we hadn’t seen before. The passes, I don’t know. I’ve really got to go watch it to see what happened. I don’t know, I really don’t.”

McCoy likely wasn't alone in scratching his head at the Rams' newfound aerial success. Gurley and the Rams attempted 33 rushes and managed just 98 yards, an average of 3 yards per carry. That type of success stopping the run has often been a recipe for success for Rams opponents, as the previous four opponents to hold the Rams to fewer than 100 rushing yards came away with victories.

But those opponents also didn't allow Keenum or fellow Rams quarterback Nick Foles to take to the skies to move the ball, either.

Against the Bucs' flailing pass defense, Keenum threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter, including a perfectly placed deep ball that went for a 60-yard touchdown for receiver Kenny Britt. Two touchdowns in a quarter is standard operating procedure for guys like Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger but for the Rams? Well, they had a total of two touchdown passes over their previous eight games, never mind quarters.

Keenum's 234 yards also represented the third-best passing yardage total by a Rams quarterback this season. And that number could've been bigger had Keenum been allowed to keep attacking in the second half. But the Rams' conservative second-half approach called for only four passes the entire 30 minutes. That's the fewest passes the Rams have attempted in a half all season.

For Keenum, it was clear early in the game that he would need to play more than just a supporting role if the Rams were to win the game.

“You always want to have a balanced attack and it’s hard to tell sometimes how the game’s going to go," Keenum said. "Obviously, Tampa Bay does a great job stopping the run. They really do. They loaded the box. Traditionally, they’re a ‘Tampa 2’ team, playing two safeties high, but they looked down and brought another safety out of the box quite a bit. That opened up the guys outside and got some playmakers outside that can do some special things with the ball in their hand. Our offensive line did a great job tonight. I really wasn’t even hit. The ones I was hit on were movements and stuff where I’m holding on to the ball and screens, stuff like that. So, offensive line did a great job and the guys made great plays for me down the field.”

While Keenum mostly got good protection throughout the game, he also impressed with his ability to hang in the pocket and deliver against the blitz, something Foles really struggled with in his starts. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Keenum was five-of-six with a touchdown and a 21.2 yards per attempt average when the Bucs rushed at least five defenders. In his first 13 games, Keenum completed just 46 percent of his passes on such attempts with an average of 5.7 yards per attempt, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

“He’s done a good job," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "Today, he was on time. He was reading well. I thought he did a nice job managing the game. He made some really good throws and we caught the football today. We made tough catches. We had some runs after catches, which were good. We needed to do that.”

Keenum is now 2-1 as the Rams' starter on the season and has won both of his starts since returning from the concussion he suffered against Baltimore on Nov. 22. It is also, perhaps, no coincidence that both of those wins have come since Rob Boras took over as offensive coordinator. Fisher said Keenum and Boras have worked well in tandem since Boras took over before last week's game against Detroit.

Keenum also points to getting consistent opportunities as reasons for his recent success.

“It’s gotten better, it has," Keenum said. "I mean, game experience, there’s nothing like it. Obviously, there’s stuff that I need to work on, I need to get better at. Times where I can hold on to the ball a little bit more, when the protection is as good as it was tonight at times. I tried to rush it a little bit. I got antsy. I just need to trust my feet, trust my read, trust my eyes and trust the offensive line to do their job.”

 

[Prime Time]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/12/17/denver-broncos-pittsburgh-steelers-nfl-week-15-preview

Photo: Billy Hurst/AP
Aaron Donald (99) and the Rams bottled up the Bucs offense for most of Thursday’s game.
About Last Night…
Rams 31, Buccaneers 23

Neither of these teams will make the playoffs, so this was my biggest takeaway: The fieriness of Jameis Winston. You’ve heard teammates talk all season about how he’s naturally embraced the role of a leader, but it was front and center in front of a national audience Thursday night. The footage NFL Network showed before the game, with Winston at the center of a huddle of teammates, pounding his chest and screaming, “I believe in us!” was surprising to see from a rookie.

Even more surprising was him getting in the face of the special-teams unit after it gave up a 102-yard kickoff return. People will have mixed opinions, I’m sure, but he rallied the team back from a 22-point deficit and led three scoring drives in the fourth quarter to pull within a touchdown—so his team can clearly use that brand of fieriness. He just has to be wary of getting too wound up, and not trying to do so much that he ends up making mistakes.

My other takeaway: The Rams’ Aaron Donald is as disruptive as any other defensive tackle in the league. The Bucs didn’t score a touchdown until the drive when he came off the field, I believe. He wouldn’t last until the 13th pick in a redraft. But it’s hard to win defensive player of the year on the NFL’s 19th-ranked defense.

 

[Leuzer]

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/turning-point-week-15-rams-say-goodbye-to-st-louis-bucs-say-goodbye-to/2258324
Turning Point, Week 15: Rams say goodbye to St. Louis, Bucs say goodbye to playoffs
Thomas Bassinger, Tampa Bay Times Staff Writer.
Friday, December 18, 2015 11:23am

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah makes a last-ditch effort to tackle St. Louis Rams receiver Kenny Britt as heads for the end zone on a 60-yard touchdown reception. Before Thursday night, the Rams were the only NFL team without a 500-yard receiver. Britt crossed that mark on this catch. [Associated Press]

It was a night of goodbyes Thursday in St. Louis. While the Rams, who are likely to move to Los Angeles next season, were saying goodbye to their home for the past 20 years, the Buccaneers were saying goodbye to their playoff chances.

Five days ago, the playoffs were a real possibility, especially with the Saints and their league-worst defense and the Rams and their league-worst offense on the schedule. But then the Bucs offense stalled in a 24-17 loss to the Saints. And last night, in a loss not nearly as close as the 31-23 final score indicates, the defense made Rams quarterback Case Keenum look like an All-Pro. In what might become a recurring Turning Point feature, consider the following bewildering statistics:

Before Thursday: The Rams offense averaged 1.5 touchdowns per game and never scored more than three.

Thursday: It scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and four total.

Before Thursday: The Rams averaged 173.1 passing yards per game, reaching 200 yards just twice in 13 games.

Thursday: Keenum reached 200 yards one pass into the third quarter and finished with 234.

Before Thursday: Keenum completed 60 percent of his passes three times in 12 career starts. His average: 55 percent. His single-game high: 71.4 percent.

Thursday: He completed 14 of 17 passes, or 82.4 percent, and almost had a perfect quarterback rating (158.0).

Before Thursday: Keenum threw an interception in eight of his past nine starts.

Thursday: He did not throw an interception. The Bucs failed to force a turnover for the second straight game and third in four games. They've lost each game.

Before Thursday: The Rams struggled getting the ball down the field, averaging 5.5 net yards per pass attempt.

Thursday: The Rams more than doubled that against the Bucs, averaging 13 net yards per pass attempt. It is, of course, a career high for Keenum.

Before Thursday: The Bucs allowed three plays of 40 or more yards, fewest in the NFL.

Thursday: Keenum connected with Kenny Britt on a 60-yard touchdown pass, the longest play against the Bucs this season. (Blake Bortles threw a 59-yard pass in October.)

While the 60-yarder to Britt is only the fourth play of 40 or more yards against the Bucs this season, it's the second in as many games. Like Drew Brees' 41-yard pass to Willie Snead on third-and-21 on Sunday,Britt's catch was not only a surprise but also a crushing blow — the Bucs' win probability dropped from 31 percent after their field goal to 14.1 percent after the touchdown and gradually declined from there.

The Rams started the possession at the 18-yard line, and this season they haven't gone the distance all that often. The Bucs haven't surrendered many long drives, either. Before Thursday, St. Louis had 12 scoring drives of 75 or more yards, tied for last with Minnesota. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, allowed 15, fourth-fewest. Last night, the Rams sustained three scoring drives of 75 or more yards, the first time they've done so since Week 1.

After a Tavon Austin run of 15 yards and a Tre Mason run of 7 yards, the Rams set up at the 40-yard line with two tight ends — potential blocking help — on the right side of the offensive line. With two tight ends and Keenum under center, it looked as though the Rams might run the ball. Against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, he only occasionally attempted a pass when lined up under center — 16 of his 22 passes came from the shotgun formation.

The Bucs started with two safeties deep, but Bradley McDougald came down from the strong safety side. After the snap, the other safety, Chris Conte moved to the middle of the field; the Bucs were playing Cover 3, a zone coverage in which the cornerbacks on the outside and the single high safety are each responsible for defending passes into their third of the field.

The two receivers, Britt on the left and Austin on the right, each ran stop-and-go routes. Britt's stutter step momentarily froze rookie Jude Adjei-Barimah, and the receiver gained 2 crucial yards of separation. Note how differently Adjei-Barimah and Johnthan Banks play the routes.

It's been a rough stretch of games for Adjei-Barimah. Brees targeted him seven times, completing all seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus. The week before, Matt Hasselbeck targeted him 11 times, completing eight passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Perhaps the Bucs were caught offguard by Keenum's deep throw. To that point, none of his four passes had traveled beyond 5 yards, which was consistent with his play against the Lions. On Sunday, 14 of his 22 passes traveled fewer than 10 yards and only three (one complete) traveled beyond 20 yards.

A quick word on Week 16

You might hear this week and next about how the Bucs will benefit from the extra days between the Rams game and their upcoming game against the Chicago Bears. That might be true from an injury standpoint, but in terms of wins and losses, teams that play on Thursdays gain no advantage. Since the NFL expanded its Thursday schedule in 2012, teams are 64-70 (0.477) the following week (the Bucs are 2-1 in that span).

Team records after playing on Thursday

2012: 17-17*

2013: 17-17

2014: 14-12

2015: 16-14

* Includes New York Giants win and Dallas Cowboys loss after their Wednesday season opener

Thomas Bassinger can be reached at tbassinger@tampabay.com. Follow @tometrics.

 

[RamBill]

Friday Wrap-Up: Fisher Arranges FaceTime with Bailey
By Myles Simmons

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Friday-Wrap-Up-Fisher-Arranges-FaceTime-with-Bailey/dcf3c811-a172-4eb8-bea0-a69d6c6615cb


Throughout the past few weeks, Stedman Bailey has constantly been in the hearts and minds of his teammates. And prior to Thursday night’s 31-23 victory over the Buccaneers, the players received a pleasant surprise when they heard from the man himself.

Head coach Jeff Fisher arranged for a FaceTime call during an afternoon meeting at the team hotel, which was the first time the whole team had gotten to see him since the shooting.

“Yeah, we had it set up and it was really special,” Fisher said at his Friday press conference. “Guys didn’t anticipate it. He wished them well.”


“It was awesome to see him,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said after Thursday’s game. “He let us know that he's been appreciative of all the prayers.”

“He wanted to let us know he was appreciative and wanted us to go out here and kick some tail,” Laurinaitis continued. “It was really uplifting for the guys to be able to see him. You hear so much, but to actually be able to see his face, and see him smile, I'm not sure words can describe the emotion in that room.”

Getting a chance to have that experience was clearly meaningful for all of his teammates.

“He's doing quite well,” tight end Jared Cook said. “If he's here or not he's a part of this family. We love him and we're praying for him. It's an unfortunate situation that he went through that had nothing to do with him. He gave us a little pregame message, so I think we took the initiative to go out there and play for him.”

No two players have shown just how much they miss Bailey more than his fellow wide receivers, Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt. Both have sported No. 12 jerseys in practice, and for pregame the wideouts ran out together holding up one finger with one hand and two with the other to honor their teammate.

“He’s been on our mind since the incident,” Britt said. “He’s really never left our minds, and you can see that in practice -- we wear his jersey every day and we just want people to know, and let him know, that he’s still out there with us.”


With the weekend off, a few players are going to Miami to visit Bailey -- Austin among them.

“A couple of us are going to go down, go see our brother, go show him some love, and then hopefully he can come back up here,” Austin said.

With Austin and Bailey first playing together at West Virginia before the Rams took both in the 2013 draft, the two have been close for years. That comes through every time Austin has answered a question about him since the incident.

“I represent for ‘12’ every day,” Austin said. “It’s never going anywhere until the day I step off this field. He’s going to be with me. That’s how I’m always going to feel about it.”

Austin said he’s been communicating either with Bailey or members of his family almost daily, adding that it’s clear how well he’s coming along. That’s part of why Austin wanted to honor him once again by putting up “12” with his hands after scoring his second touchdown.

“He was texting us and all, telling us to go get it, score one for him,” Austin said. “One of [my touchdowns] was just for him.”

Seeing Bailey before the game may just have given the Rams a lift and a slight extra edge to go out and perform at a high level. It was clearly an emotional event that won’t soon be forgotten.

“It was something I had never experienced before,” Fisher said. “It was really special. Really special.”

OGLETREE’S POSSIBLE RETURN

Also of note from Fisher’s Friday press conference, the head coach said the club will start Alec Ogletree’s practice window from being on IR/designated to return. Fisher said last week there’s a chance the weakside linebacker could be active against the 49ers in Week 17.

“Yeah, we’re going to start the window and see how he is,” Fisher said. “He ran outside last week. He’s not ready to play, but we’ll start the window next week and we’ll see how it goes.”

 

[RamBill]

Check out the best highlights from Thursday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Relive the Rams Win vs. TB