On the other side of the field, the St. Louis Rams flipped their former first round pick, Sam Bradford, for Nick Foles with far less impressive results. That means the Rams will rely heavily on the running game and it’s a good thing they have RB Todd Gurley, who leads all rookies with 975 yards and eight TDs on the ground. It’s great to see Martin healthy as he has battled numerous injuries causing him to miss 15 games in just the last two years.
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After five straight losses dropped the St. Louis Rams to a distant third in the NFC West standings, the organization decided something needed to be done to end their downward spiral.
Head coach Lovie Smith was pretty damning in his assessment following the Saints loss as he reflected: “I wish I could tell you someone played well but they didn’t”.
Gurley has run for 8 touchdowns over his past 8 games played.
Quarterback Case Keenum pointed out last week’s 21-14 slump-busting victory over the Detroit Lions was his first start in St. Louis.
For the Bucs, Winston has had quite an inaugural season. WR Mike Evans will be his preferred option with Vincent Jackson (knee) hurting, but the Rams are openly discussing plans to double the second-year wideout. We haven’t seen the Buccaneers make the playoffs since the 2007 season, but that will definitely change in the near future.
Anyway, if you are looking for a rooting interest, the Rams are in the division, so root for the Bucs.
By any measure Winston has wildly exceeded expectations for his rookie year and undoubtedly the team’s front office must feel they’re set at the most important position in American sports for at least the next decade if not longer. That’s while facing a much more hard running environment. If they can stuff Gurley, who is fourth in the National Football League and needs just 25 yards to go over 1,000 for the season, the Rams passing offense is the NFL’s worst.
The Rams don’t fare well when they have to manufacture long drives so they’ll have to find a way to break through against the stingy Bucs.
Gurley is coming off a big effort and the obvious mindset is to believe he will back it up but he ran for 45, 66, 19 and 41 in the four games preceding Detroit and faces a stern examination here against a team that admits it still has the mindset of one that can make the play-offs.
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If you’re desperate at wide receiver, a sneaky dart throw may be Tavon Austin. The Bucs have prided themselves on being a balanced team which could explain why they’re 11th in the league in total offense while being led by a rookie quarterback. Humphries caught a 6-yard touchdown last week and Dye snagged a 16-yard reception. On Sunday they travel to take on the St. Louis Rams.
