The Rams have some momentum heading into this game and will get to play at home.
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Gurley had 140 yards and two touchdowns Sunday for the St. Louis Rams in a 21-14 win against the Detroit Lions.
Winston has led his team back to relevance, and at 6-7, the Bucs remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Rams don’t have a real playoff shot. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way as Rams cornerback Trumain Johnson was on Megatron in solo coverage most of the day and held the All-Pro to just one reception for 16 yards.
Heading into St. Louis and beating the Rams isn’t going to be easy, but Winston and the Buccaneers are going to do just that. The quarterbacking for the Rams is still some of the worst we’ve seen in years. The Bucs’ passing defense has been poor on the road, as they’ve allowed 280 yards to opposing quarterbacks.
He’s run the ball with a vengeance behind a limited offense that’s had its season-opening quarterback benched and its offensive coordinator fired.
DARK TIMES: Scott Linehan coached the last Rams team that didn’t have a losing record, finishing 8-8 in 2006. 500 for the first time in three years, sputtering on offense against the NFL’s 32th-ranked defense and failing slow down New Orleans’ Drew Brees-led offense. Last year, great hopes for a turnaround season were immediately muted when the Rams got whipped 34-6 by the Vikings in the opener. “The wins didn’t come but it finally did, so it was rewarding”. The rookie out of Florida State has been solid this season, throwing for 3,059 yards with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and five rushing touchdowns as well. The Rams’ defense has been getting really dinged up this year. It’s unfortunate not every team the Rams play are the last place NFC North Lions – otherwise they’d be undefeated! They allowed Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald to have one-on-one matchups and couldn’t stop running back Todd Gurley consistently, arguably the two best players on the other team. When Dick Vermeil came to town a few months ago, he got the rock star treatment on the Lambert International Airport concourse, which prompted a tinge of regret for his long-ago decision to abruptly retire not long after Mike Jones’ title-saving tackle against the Titans in the title game.
Stopping Gurley will be the Bucs’ focus. “That size-speed combination is rare and ability to make people miss and then he can run over you as well, so he has all the ingredients to be a very good back in our league for a while”.
The over/under for this game is sitting at a 41 and it is now a pick “em, according to Las Vegas”.
Defensive end William Hayes was more effusive in his praise for Donald, telling the Post-Dispatch, “I’m not taking anything away from J.J. He is one of the best in the league”.
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Said Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers to the team website, “He has great leverage and I think that’s what a lot of guards and centers have trouble with when he’s pass rushing because he’s always in the great leverage position to either power you or run you over”. Coach Jeff Fisher obviously wants to pound Gurley all night.
