The Los Angeles Rams escaped Week 3 with a 37-32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The contest was heavily fought, with the outcome of the game being delayed thanks to a thunderstorm. While both teams patiently waited for over an hour, they also wanted to conclude Week 3 with a dominant ending.
During the final drive of the game, the defense held the Buccaneers offense barely in front of them. On the final play of the game, Jameis Winston wandered around the 15-yard line before being hit from behind to end the game.
Winston clearly passed the line of scrimmage, appearing he was unaware as he continued looking to pass the ball. The Rams will take it though, as they improved their record to 2-1.
After a dismal start to the season, it appears as though head coach Jeff Fisher has salvaged the season. The Rams remain atop their division, tied with the Seattle Seahawks. While the team is in a fortunate situation, there are still things to takeaway from the game.
During the press conferences held on Tuesday, safety T.J. McDonald pointed to the defense and how they have stayed strong in clutch scenarios, via Myles Simmons of Rams Insider:
“We’re always one big play away,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “We know we’ve done it before. We’ve been in those types of situations. So that situation does come up, we have confidence we can do it again.”
The same can be said for their contest against the Seahawks, which came down to the Rams defense holding strong. In a low scoring affair, the Rams defense stood strong against Russell Wilson and earned the victory.
However, the Rams did allow 32 points against the Rams, and were reliant on the offense posting 37 points after failing to record a touchdown through their first two weeks.
McDonald later stated that the team is satisfied with the win, but understands there are facets to improve upon:
“We got the win, and you’re never unhappy with a win,” McDonald said. “But there’s definitely things we’ve got to work on.”
The Rams are slated for a tough Week 4 matchup, on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. While the defense will have a tough matchup against the electric Cardinals offense, quarterback Case Keenum and Todd Gurley will have to provide offensive support.
