Rams Look To Go 3-0 Against Tampa Bay Buccaneers

By Zakary Haines

LOS ANGELES- After a close call against the Indianapolis Colts, the Los Angeles Rams are looking to stay undefeated in the 2021 season. This next match-up will not be easy. Their opponent are none other than the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This game will be a significant test for this Rams squad, as they hope to prove they belong in the Super Bowl conversation. It will be a clash of two of the best teams in the NFC and possibly of the entire league.

The Rams defense has one goal, distribute the offense. Tom Brady has had an outstanding season so far: nine touchdowns, 655 passing yards, and a 113.3 quarterback rating. Brady is on a roll the league has not seen since his first MVP season in 2007. If the Rams want any chance of slowing down the Buccaneers’ offense, they will need to go after Brady early and often. Expect plays to get Aaron Donald involved, and blitz plays to get hits on Brady. As for the secondary, they will need to lock down Rob Gronkowski. He has been outstanding on the offensive side. Gronkowski currently has four touchdowns, 129 receiving yards out of 12 receptions. Brady has relied on Gronkowski to be his bail-out option during passing plays. If the Rams can stop Gronkowski, it will be much easier to slow down Brady.

As for the Rams offense, the most significant factor will be how well Matthew Stafford plays. Stafford has had a tremendous start with five passing touchdowns, 599 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 127.0. Stafford will have to play close to perfect against Tampa Bay’s defense. The Bucs’ defense is nothing to laugh at. Players like Vita Vea, Devin White, and Mike Edwards have been performing at a similar level to last season. However, the one weakness seen is the secondary. Tampa Bay has allowed 3rd most passing yards in the league. If Stafford can find lapses in the coverage, he will have no issues getting the ball to his targets.

As for the run game, it may not matter too much unless it is third down and short. The running back duties come down to Sony Michel and Jake Funk as Darrell Henderson Jr is dealing with a rib injury. Henderson is currently listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision. Do not expect a lot from the running game early on, but later in the second half. If the Rams can establish a balanced offense, Tampa Bay will have their hands full.

Finally, Sean McVay has proven to be a headache to coach against. McVay is known for causing mismatches and creating opportunities through confusing the opposing defense. So far, this has been the case against the Bears and Colts. McVay will give Kupp, and Woods plays where they can cause confusion and get wide open. Regardless, McVay will be up against Bruce Arians, who, in his own right, is a coaching mastermind as well. This will be one of the best games to watch in week three as FOX has this game as their “game of the week.” Kickoff is set for 4:25 pm est on FOX.