The Rams won their second straight game and hung around the periphery of the NFC playoff race by beating the Buccaneers at home Thursday, but the scene was a poignant one at Edward Jones Dome.
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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.
Regardless of the fact that the Rams haven’t had a winning season since 2003, the St. Louis fans were electric last night, spurred on by fantastic play from Tavon Austin, Aaron Donald, and the pressure the Rams defense put on Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston. They also have a +1 turnover ratio. We made tough catches. “We’re not there yet, and that’s what we get from the game. We needed to do that”.
Despite back-to-back setbacks to the Saints and Rams, the Bucs (6-8) still could finish with a. 500 record with victories over the Chicago Bears and at Carolina the next two weeks.
On Thursday, 27-year-old signal caller Case Keenum was absolutely terrific. They must’ve been outside having a good time because they came in and it was great to see them.
“I think overall, there were times we were moving the ball, ” Smith said. I tried to rush it a little bit. “I just have to make throws”. In these situations, the quarterback has to show up to play. “The only thing I would say that Bennet has done is that he identified it in an American footballer”. You don’t overthink reads. He finished the night with 48 yards on 21 carries…. “They were loud for us today”. We’ve still got two more opportunities, which is how I look at it. There are two more games on the schedule.
“We appreciate our fans”, Fisher said.
It’s a claim the real-life doctor portrayed by Smith, forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu, has himself made for years, giving a detailed description about how he came to name that disease “chronic traumatic encephalopathy”.
“Rhythm was good, timing was good, decisions were good for the most part, ” the coach added.
“That’s something we didn’t expect”, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said of the Rams being able to throw the ball on the Bucs defense. The good thing is, our offense, Doug Martin still did what he does. He caught Case one time off guard right before half.
After nine seasons in Detroit, Johnson’s future with the Lions is uncertain beyond the final three games of the regular season.
Running back Todd Gurley’s three-yard touchdown run in the first half saw him reach the 1,000-yard mark for the season, making him the Rams’ first rookie to reach the milestone since Jerome Bettis in 1993. They gave up a 60-yard bomb to Kenny Britt and only sacked Keenum twice.
-RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus. Gurley had his struggles, but Austin had 32 yards on four attempts, including a 21-yard touchdown.
Fans chanted “Keep Our Rams!” Winston had a career-high 363 passing yards to go with his two touchdowns. After all, the Rams entered the contest averaging an anemic 14.4 points per game.
Jameis Winston owned the fourth quarter. And the sooner the Bucs fall behind, the sooner they get away from what they do best: run behind National Football League rushing leader Doug Martin.
Keenum maintained his scalding hand on the third quarter’s first drive, zinging completions of 25 and 15 yards to tight end Jared Cook and an 11-yard strike to Austin.
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Benny Cunningham had a 102-yard kickoff return to the Tampa Bay 3 in the fourth quarter and a 44-yard return on the opening kickoff capped by Austin’s 17-yard scoring reception. One of the fair catches was inside the 20.
