Buccaneers vs. Rams Divisional Round Gam

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It's the so far for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. First, they had to take down their old postseason nemesis in the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, they have to take on the Los Angeles Rams, who kept the Bucs from reaching the Super Bowl in both the 1980 NFC Championship game and the 2000 NFC Championship game.An immediate trip to the Super Bowl isn't on the line in this game, but obviously, the privilege to keep playing football after this week is.The Bucs lost to the Rams back in Week 3. Can Tampa Bay flip the script from the first meeting and also notch its first postseason win against the Rams?All-time series: The Rams lead the all-time series, , and are 2-0 against the Bucs in the postseason.Longest win streak:Los Angeles Kyle Shurmur Jersey won six in a row from 1984-1992.Largest margin of victory: The Rams blasted the Bucs, , back in 1987.2021 offensive and defensive rankings: The Bucs finished 2021 with the NFL's offense ( , ) and the defense ( , ). Tampa Bay averaged on offense (2nd) and allowed on defense (t-5th). The Rams finished with the NFL's ( , ) and the NFL's defense ( , ). They averaged on offense (6th), while allowing on defense (9th).What To Watch ForThe Bucs offensive line:It's still unknown as to whether or not Tristan Wirfs will play. If he doesn't, then that's an All-Pro mi sing from Tampa Bay's lineup, which is obviously a big deal when facing off against a pa s rush like the Rams'. Josh Wells will fill in at right tackle, and while Wells is a decent backup, he's obviously no Wirfs. Can the Bucs offensive line keep Tom Brady upright? Curtis Samuel Jersey It's no coincidence that Tampa Bay's front five became one of the NFL's best after Wirfs was drafted in 2020. Even if Wirfs does go, it's logical to a sume his ankle is going to prevent him from playing at 100%. Either way, Tampa Bay's offensive line is going to have to play its best game of the season against the Rams.Tampa Bay's pa s rush: The Bucs have to get to Matthew Stafford on Sunday, there's no other way around it. One of the big reasons he was able to throw four touchdowns back in Week 3 was because Tampa Bay's pa s rush was pretty much non-existent. Starting left tackle Andrew Whitworth is out and center Brian Allen has struggled this year. In fact, Allen has allowed a league-high 5.0 sacks among centers and he's one of the lowest-ranked centers when it comes to pa s blocking efficiency, per Pro Football Focus. The Bucs pa s rush is nearly at full strength, so there will be no excuses when it comes to how effective they are in this game.Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. vs. the Bucs secondary:Sean Murphy-Bunting will be a game-time decision, but the Bucs still have adequate options to replace him if he doesn't play. SMB doesn't run the secondary, however. That's Carlton Davis III's, Jordan Whitehead's, and Antoine Winfield Jr.'s job. And gue s what? Those three guys are healthy and ready to roll. When you add in Jamel Dean's impre sive Wild Card performance, it's easy to see why the Bucs Kamren Curl Jersey secondary and the Rams receivers will be one of the top battles to watch.Leonard Fournette's return:That's right, Playoff Lenny returns to the postseason against the Rams after a four-game absence. His abilities as a runner and receiver are crucial to Tampa Bay's offensive prowe s, but it's Fournette's improvement in pa s protection that will really come in handy against the Rams. The Bucs are going to have to leave him in as an extra blocker throughout this game and he's easily the best option at running back when it comes to keeping Brady upright. With Fournette, the Bucs now have reliable and effective players at all three levels of the offense.Special Teams: I know special teams don't sell tickets, but they often play a big role in close games, which is what this game should be. I mean, just ask Aaron Rodgers and the Packers how much of a difference special teams can make in the postseason. Believe it or not, the Bucs are at a disadvantage when it comes to Ryan Succop vs. Matt Gay due to Gay's incredible 2021 season and his ability to boot 55-yarders. Then, there's Johnny Hekker vs. Bradley Pinion. Hekker is fourth in net average per punt while Pinion is 23rd. Field position will go a long way in this game, so both punters will have to be on their game. Pinion had a good game against the Eagles, but has been very inconsistent this year. The Rams' coverage unit is also fourth in overall DVOA, which is than the Bucs' ranking of 27. The Bucs are going to have to get the most out of Keith Armstrong's crew if they want to win this game.Tampa Bay BuccaneersQB Tom Brady: Brady hasn't fared well against the Rams since he joined the Bucs, but the playoffs are a different animal. Will he get his revenge like he did last year with the Saints?RB Leonard Fournette: The Bucs' NFL Washington Commanders Jersey lead running back is good to go and will play Sunday. How much impact he has on the game remains to be seen, however.TE Rob Gronkowski: Gronk will be the guy the Bucs look to a lot during this game. He should have a nice day.DL Vita Vea: Stopping the Rams offense starts with interior pre sure and Vea is one of the best at collapsing the pocket.CB Jamel Dean:Bruce Arians said the Wild Card game was Dean's best game as a Buc. He needs to have an even better game this week.S Antoine Winfield Jr.:He's the playmaker on the Bucs' back end of the defense and saved the Divisional Round against the Saints last year. The Bucs are going to need his playmaking skills against the Rams.Los Angeles RamsQB Matthew Stafford:We know how good this Rams offense is when Stafford doesn't turn the ball over. Can he be turnover-free for another playoff game?RB Cam Akers:It's amazing that Akers is playing right now. It's even more impre sive that he's playing as well as he is.WR Cooper Kupp:Honestly, what is there to say about Kupp that we don't already know? He's a top-3 receiver in the league and will definitely do his fair share of damage on Sunday.DL Aaron Donald:Just Darrick Forrest Jersey like Kupp, we know everything there is to know about Donald. He's a game-wrecker and will take over the game if the Bucs let him.OLB Von Miller:He wasn't in the first matchup and looks more and more comfortable with each pa sing game. Defending Miller will be tough, especially if Wirfs doesn't go.CB Jalen Ramsey:Man, am I writing about the NFC P

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