The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) beat the Los Angeles Rams (5-4) 16-13 Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
The Buccaneers deferred the coin toss, and the Rams received the opening kickoff; Los Angeles was unable to get anything going on their first of the game. Tom Brady and the Bucs took over with possession and ended up with a Ryan Succop 2-yard field goal with 7:16 remaining in the first quarter. The Rams ensuing possession ended after Vita Vea blew up the offensive line and sacked Matthew Stafford. The Buccaneers finished the opening quarter with a 3-0 lead over the Rams.
The Rams came out firing on all cylinders as Matthew Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp for a 69-yard TD to give Los Angeles a 7-3 lead with 12:57 left in the 2nd quarter. Both offenses struggled in the 2nd quarter of play; to make matters worse, Ryan Succop's 52-yard field goal try was blocked. Late in the quarter, Ryan Succop knocked down his 38-yard field goal with less than 30-seconds remaining. The Rams led the Bucs 7-6 heading into halftime.
The Rams extended their lead in the third quarter following Matt Gay's 26-yard field goal with under 10-minutes left in the quarter. The Rams led 10-6 up to that point in the ball game. The Buccaneers offense continued to stall, back-to-back penalties on the Bucs punt team didn't help, but Jake Camarda booted a 74-yard punt, pinning the Rams back inside their 15-yard line at the 11. The Buccaneers defense stood tall, shutting down the Rams offense. Tampa eventually faced a 4th down and 2; unfortunately, Aaron Donald brought down Tom Brady, forcing a turnover on downs. That led to the Rams tacking on three more points as Matt Gay made his 35-yard FG. The Rams took their extended 13-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
Ryan Succop made a 50-yard field goal try with just over 8-minutes left in the game. However, the Rams led 13-9 at that point. Bucs QB Tom Brady connected with TE Cade Otton with 9-seconds remaining in the game. The Bucs win 16-13.
The Buccaneers now prepare to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, November 13th, in Germany. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 AM ET - you can hear the game on 97.9 WXTB-FM - The Mighty 98 Rock.
PHOTO COURTESY: GETTY IMAGES