[CanuckRightWinger]

For this Monday Night, the media is all gah-gah about Tom Brady....the greatest, the GOAT, the timeless one, yadda, yadda, yadda....
so I decided to look up 2020 Rams D stats over at ESPN NFL stats to reassure myself about Staley's Stifling Scheme.

....and to be sure, Los Ramos D stats are very impressive....but as I was looking at the different D categories....guess what team also kept coming up as NFL top percentile defenders?

Tampa Bay!!!

Here's some tale-of-the-tape stuff

TAMPA STAT..RANK...............NFL D CATEGORY............RAMS STAT....RANK
PASSING D STATS
223.7 YDS....9TH..................PASS YDS PER GAME......199.7 YDS...3RD
68.2%.....26TH .............COMP % ALLOWED..........64.2%.....11TH
7.0 YPA......10TH(TIE).........YDS PER ATTEMPT...............6.4...........1ST
72 YDS.....22ND...............LONGEST PASS COMP........44 YDS......2ND
17 TDs.....18TH(TIE)........PASS TDs ALLOWED...........9 TDs........1ST
12 PICKS...1ST .........INTERCEPTIONS MADE.......8PICKS......9TH (TIE)
32 SACKS ...2ND..........QUARTERBACK SACKS........31SACKS...3RD
89.8 QBRATE...9TH.........QB RATING ALLOWED..........81.0.........3RD
10.2 YD/REC....3RD.........YDS/RECPTN ALLOWED........9.9YD/REC....1ST

RUSHING D STATS
76.6 YD/GM...1ST ....RUSH YDS/GAME ALLOWED.......96.8 YD/GM....5TH
3.3 YD/CARRY...1ST ...RUSH YDS/CARRY ALLOWED......4.1 YD/CARRY...9TH (TIE)
11 RUSH TDs...11TH TIE...TOTAL RUSH TDs ALLOWED.......7 RUSH TDs...6TH (TIE)
39.5% CONV....12TH.....3RD DOWN % CONVERSIONS.........35.4% CONV...5TH
57 D PENALTIES..23RD ......D PENALTIES TAKEN........44 D TOTAL PENALTIES...5TH(TIE)

So, while I feel confident that Staley's Studs can limit Tampa Bay's Brady, Evans, etc etc....I do worry about Goff versus that tough TB Defense. Last time Goff came to Florida against a somewhat weaker D, they stole his Lunch Money.

Just sayin' that, with these 2 elite DCs and their squads, this MNF game in Tampa could be a 13-3 Brady versus Goff SB Type low-scoring affair......only this time hopefully with Brady being on the losing end.

I very much desire that Los Ramos maul Brady mercilessly.
We owe that 40-something dink going all the way back to SB 36 ....which was in 2002!!!

[Hacksaw]

What Canuck said ^^^^^

[safer]

We also didn't have Cooper in the super bowl. In this game with great D, I think a lot of underneath throws are gonna happen---and he's one of the very best.
Yeah, I'd take the under in this one. Rams in a squeaker.

[ramsman34]

Yep. That has been and is my concern. Our D will be fine. Depending on what the O does. Therein lies the rub: can Goff handle the pressure? Does MCV have the right plan to set him and the O up for success? Will the perceived and probably real predicament on the left side of the OL become our Achilles heal?

The O is the concern, the O is the key to the win. Period.

And ya, that TB D is no joke.

[ramsman34]

We also didn't have Cooper in the super bowl. In this game with great D, I think a lot of underneath throws are gonna happen---and he's one of the very best.
Yeah, I'd take the under in this one. Rams in a squeaker.

I think the passing game will be about getting their D moving one way and going against them the other. The short and screen game will be in full effect.

If I see empty sets I will straight lose my fucking mind.

[aeneas1]

yeah, the bucs defense has been pretty tough this season, as i mentioned in another thread they've given up more than the league average in a game just twice, both times to the saints.. they held the league's 3rd ranked scoring offense to 3, and the 8th ranked scoring offense to 20, mcvay and goff better bring their big boy pants!

on the flip-side tho, there does seem to be a silver lining - their offense has averaged a whopping 37.6 points per game against defenses ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive points allowed, but just 20.4 a game against defenses ranked in the top half of the league.

[Hacksaw]

TB = Tampa Bay
TB = Tom Brady
TB = Tuberculosis

I'm not sure our D will dominate, but if we do, we win.
If Goff and Co. have a productive outing (27 pts +) we can win this thing.

[safer]

The biggest advantage may be that our very young D is finally starting to gel. Our rookie olber --Lewis---had two sacks last week. Floyd is now playing the best ball of his career. Cb Williams is playing at an all-pro level.--Our new ILBERS continue to improve. Mr Evans is going to see a lot of Mr. Ramsey. I think our D is superior to theirs---it's our O ,and especially protecting the ball, that make me nervous.

[PARAM]

yeah, the bucs defense has been pretty tough this season, as i mentioned in another thread they've given up more than the league average in a game just twice, both times to the saints.. they held the league's 3rd ranked scoring offense to 3, and the 8th ranked scoring offense to 20, mcvay and goff better bring their big boy pants!

on the flip-side tho, there does seem to be a silver lining - their offense has averaged a whopping 37.6 points per game against defenses ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive points allowed, but just 20.4 a game against defenses ranked in the top half of the league.

Through the first 6 games, they gave up 122 points (20.3 ppg) but in the last 4 they've given up 104 (26.0 ppg). In those first 6, they allowed 20 or more 3 times. In the last 4 they've allowed 20 or more in all 4. Maybe we're catching them at the right time?