It’s the final game of the week 11 NFL slate with a battle of NFC foes looking to improve their standing in the playoff race down in the Sunshine State. The Los Angeles Rams are on the road as they make the trip to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. Los Angeles comes in off a 23-16 home victory over Seattle last Sunday in their first game back off the bye. Tampa Bay rebounded from the worst loss in Tom Brady’s career as they knocked off Carolina 46-23 on the road last Sunday in a NFC South battle. The Rams own a 14-9 advantage in the all-time regular season series but it was the Buccaneers winning a 55-40 shootout on the road in the most recent meeting on September 29, 2019.
Los Angeles Rams Look to Earn Statement Win
Los Angeles came out of the bye by shutting down a pretty prolific Seattle offense to record a victory last week. The Rams sit second in the NFC West and look to have a better showing in the Sunshine State than they did right before the bye when they lost to the Dolphins in Tua Tagovailoa’s first career start. Los Angeles trailed 7-3 late in the first quarter before taking the lead for good on Darrell Henderson Jr.’s one-yard run with 2:24 to play in the stanza. The Rams extended to a 10-point lead early in the second quarter and didn’t let Seattle closer than four the rest of the way. Los Angeles owned a 389-333 edge in total offense, held a 24-20 edge in first downs and controlled the clock by a 33:36 to 26:24 margin. The Rams also forced three turnovers while committing just one turnover in the contest.
LEONARD. FLOYD. pic.twitter.com/z4ElJuRzWj
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 15, 2020
On the season, the Rams are 11th in the league in passing offense as they average 261.3 yards per game through the air. Los Angeles is 8th in rushing offense with 134.2 yards per contest this season. The Rams are 18th in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 24 points per contest. Los Angeles stands second in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 18.7 points per game. Jared Goff has completed 213 of 321 passes for 2,447 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has been sacked 13 times while rushing for 44 yards plus two scores this season. The ground game has seen a trio of backs take the lion’s share of carries in games at different points of the season. Rookie Darrell Henderson Jr. leads the team with 102 carries for 486 yards plus four scores on the year. Malcolm Brown contributes 81 carries for 347 yards and five scores while rookie Cam Akers Jr. has 45 carries for 186 yards. A quintet of players have at least 250 receiving yards on the season. Cooper Kupp (53 catches, 577 yards, two TD), Robert Woods (42 receptions, 469 yards, four TD) and Josh Reynolds (30 grabs, 416 yards, two TD) each have more than 400 receiving yards this season.
The Rams have been solid with the run game, piling up more than 100 yards on the ground in eight of their nine games. Tampa Bay is leading the league in run defense as they allow 76.6 yards per game on the ground while they also lead the league by allowing 3.3 yards per carry. Los Angeles is going to have to find a way to replace Andrew Whitworth, who is out six to eight weeks with a knee injury. Tampa Bay does a solid job against the pass as they have 32 sacks, 46 pass defenses and 12 picks this season. Goff is going to have to find a way to hit the soft spots of the Bucs’ coverage to help the Rams move the sticks and sustain their drives.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Seek to Prevail at Home
Tampa Bay rebounded from the worst loss of Tom Brady’s career as they took care of business against the struggling Panthers on the road last week. The Buccaneers now look to even their record against teams with a winning mark as they were beaten by the Saints twice and the Bears while beating the Raiders along with the Packers. Against Carolina, Tampa Bay trailed 14-7 after the opening quarter and tied the game at 17 at halftime. The Buccaneers took control of the game in the second half, outscoring Carolina 12-0 in the third quarter, highlighted by Ronald Jones II’s franchise-record 98-yard scoring run. Tampa Bay didn’t see their lead drop below nine after that before scoring two late touchdowns to put it away. The Buccaneers rolled up a commanding 544-187 edge in total offense, piled up 30 first downs while allowing 13 and dominated time of possession by a 36:05 to 23:55 margin. Both teams turned the ball over once.
.@TomBrady in Week 10?
Three passing touchdowns and a rushing TD on his signature QB sneak. @Buccaneers | #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/6s5UPEIiIT
— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2020
The Buccaneers are ninth in the league in passing offense as they generate 264.6 yards per game through the air. Tampa Bay stands 23rd in rushing offense with an average of 103.9 yards per contest. The Buccaneers are sixth in the league in scoring offense with an average of 29.6 points per game. Tampa Bay stands eighth in scoring defense as they allow 22.6 points per contest. Tom Brady has completed 254 of 385 passes for 2,739 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has been sacked 14 times for 93 yards in losses. Ronald Jones II leads Tampa Bay on the ground as he has run the ball 143 times for 730 yards and five scores this season. Leonard Fournette has chipped in 59 carries for 244 yards and two scores in his action. Mike Evans leads the team with 40 receptions for 514 yards and eight scores on the year. Gronkowski (29 catches, 374 yards, four TD), Scottie Miller (27 receptions, 414 yards, two TD) and Chris Godwin (34 grabs, 412 yards, two TD) are all valuable targets for Brady to look for in the passing game that have more than 350 receiving yards on the season.
The Buccaneers are going to have their work cut out for them when it comes to moving the ball against the Rams’ stout defensive unit. Los Angeles has been extremely tough on the defensive side of the ball as they are second in the league in total defense as they allow 296.4 yards per contest. The Rams are fifth in rushing defense as they allow 96.8 yards per contest. Jalen Ramsey is going to have to lock down on Mike Evans while how the Tampa Bay offensive line, which could be without Ali Marpet once again, handles Aaron Donald and company will go a long way to determining how the Buccaneers fare in this contest.
