By
Ross Slaw on Thursday, September 11
th 2014
Preview: Rams (0-1) at Buccaneers (0-1)
Date: 9/14/14
Time: 4:05 PM EST
Television: FOX
Spread: -5.5 Tampa Bay
Players To Watch
Zac Stacy, Running Back, St. Louis Rams
After coming off a poor performance in week one, he is going to be key for the Rams if they want to win. The Rams offensive line needs to do a better job at giving this speedster holes to juke and jive through. He’s a key part of this offense and probably the best player on the offense without question.
Brian Quick, Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams
Kenny Britt is listed as the #1 Wide Receiver on the depth chart, but Quick seems to have emerged as the Rams best receiver. Quick is tall and has very good hands. Quick also is very good in the short game because of his size and his ability to catch the ball around defenders. He looked good in week one grabbing 7 receptions for 99 yards.
Vincent Jackson, Wide Receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This guy is easily one of the most consistent wide receivers in all of the NFL. He’s had 1,000 or more receiving yards in 5 out of the last 6 years. The past two years, he has ranked in the top 25 or better on the eDraft's player consistency charts. He’s a threat to take it to the house at any time. Let’s also not forget at 6’5” he’s pretty tough to cover.
Doug Martin Running Back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
People were hoping to see the Martin of old straight out of the gate in week one, but instead we saw shell of his former self. If he plays, then he has a great matchup against this Rams defense that just allowed 185 total rushing yards. As long as the offensive can make holes for him, he should have no problem getting up the field.
St. Louis Rams Offense vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
The Rams shouldn’t be afraid of Buccaneers defense after seeing Derek Anderson lead his team make mincemeat out of them. Yes, Derek Anderson! The only problem is they don’t have any good options at quarterback. We also don’t even know who is going to start between Austin Davis and Case Keenum. Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham are going to have to be relied upon to move the chains all game long. The Rams were 4-2 last season when Stacy scored a rushing touchdown. Also, when the Rams played the Buccaneers late last year Stacy had 104 rushing yards and a touchdown, so he’s hoping to continue his success against Tampa Bay. The Rams beat the Buccaneers last season despite Darrelle Revis being on defense. The Rams passing attack could have better luck with Revis being in New England now.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense vs St. Louis Rams Defense
The Buccaneers clearly are the more talented team on offense. Josh McCown needs to find ways to get the ball to Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. The Rams run defense looked putrid missing tackles left and right last week, so the Buccaneers running game needs to set the tempo, and allow McCown to be more comfortable in the pocket to make the throws he has to. Jackson excelled last season in week 16 against the Rams grabbing 5 receptions for 98 yards, so perhaps he will get more of the same.
Game Preview
While both of these teams may be 0-1, The Buccaneers seem to be the better team. Tampa Bay clearly has the better offense between the two, so its going to come down to how well the Rams defense performs. The Rams looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL after their performance last week. St. Louis has to prove that last week was just an illusion, and remember its a long season ahead. One major thing that needs to be addressed this week for the Rams is their penalties. Last week St. Louis had 13 penalties for 121 yards.
Implications
Nobody wants to start 0-2, so both teams will be trying to avoid going deeper in the hole. While the Rams aren’t expected to win that division, they can at least battle for a wild card spot. Everyone knows the NFC South is up for grabs almost every season. Tampa Bay needs a win to stay in the thick of things. Only 25% of teams that start 0-1 make the playoffs, so this really is a must win.
Final Prediction
St. Louis Rams- 13 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 24