The Rams defense also stepped up and shut down Jameis Winston despite the rookie finishing with a career high 363 yards passing.
Advertisement
Quarterback Case Keenum certainly played inspired.
Up 31-13, the Rams became conservative, and Winston took advantage with two touchdown passes.
Bigger than the game and result, with both teams now at 6-8, needing a miracle to make the playoffs, was the Rams playing in front of 51,295 who possibly came to say goodbye to a team that won a Super Bowl pretty quickly after moving from Los Angeles to St. Louis and then made another one, but has failed to make the playoffs in over 10 years, which has generated apathy from the locals towards the team. Teammate Luke Stocker recovered his fumble to take Dye off the hook.
A fan holds up a sign in the stands during the first quarter of an NFL football game between the St. Louis Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in St. Louis. Quarterback Case Keenum completed 14 of 17 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. I think you have to give a lot of credit to our coaches, Coach (Rob) Boras and all those offensive coaches for really putting us in a great position there early.
Kenny Britt’s 60-yard catch was the first by a Rams wide receiver since Stedman Bailey against Arizona in Week 4.
Winston at least had a positive attitude and was ready to move forward in the aftermath, per Stroud: “Got to learn a lesson”. “We’re headed in the right direction”.
However, Tampa Bay’s already slim playoff hopes absorbed a fatal blow from a team that might have given its much-maligned fan base a ideal farewell gift. So, Tampa Bay’s total output of 509 yards rang hollow.
One of three teams angling to move to Los Angeles for next year, the Rams (6-8) didn’t allow potential distractions of a short week and a home finale for all time sidetrack them.
The halftime deficit was the Buccaneers’ largest since they were down 35-7 against Tennessee in their opening 42-14 loss. He was second on the team in receptions and receiving yards, trailing Mike Evans, who led the team with nine catches for 157 yards.
-TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins’ delay of game penalty after being tackled at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter might have cost the Bucs a touchdown.
Austin also had four carries for 32 yards and a touchdown, and rookie running back Todd Gurley rushed 21 times for 48 yards and a score.
Advertisement
Rams returner Benny Cunningham, from his own end zone, weaved through the Bucs for a 102-yard kickoff return, but it was Jenkins that finally brought him down at the 3-yard line. Donald stuffed running back Doug Martin for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Rams’ 23 midway through the second quarter to end a Buccaneers drive that lasted more than seven minutes. Buccaneers S Chris Conte (left knee) was injured on Austin’s second TD in the third quarter when he got tangled up with another defender.
