The Buccaneers celebrated the Ring of Honor game, inviting Derrick Brooks, Ring Members and Brooks' teammates into Raymond James Stadium to celebrate our newest Hall of Famer and his induction ceremony and jersey retirement! An hour and a half prior to kickoff, both the Rams and Bucs turned in their injury reports with some key Buccaneer players not taking the field.
As the Rams kicked off, the weather report rolled in.
The Buccaneers began immediately where they left off last week, putting together a solid drive right from the start. We go straight to the analysts to walk us through it:
On third-and-goal from the five-yard line, the Buccaneers would put the first points on the board.
With the Rams offense taking the field for the first time, Greg Auman pointed out some of the replacement players starting today's game.
St. Louis answered right back, putting together a drive of their own.
The possession would ultimately end with seven Rams points and even worse news for the Buccaneers defense. Jenna Laine calls the score while TBO.com's Ira Kaufman gives the painful injury news.
On the ensuing drive, the Bucs again worked their way easily upfield, with RB Bobby Rainey making big plays for the offense and bringing us to the end of the first quarter.
A 24-yard gain to TE Brandon Myers and 19-yard Bobby Rainey run brought the ball inside the 10-yard line. Josh McCown dropped back for the pass and threw the first turnover of the day. Greg Auman and Rick Brown share the play:
Interception. McCown on the scramble. Tries to throw across his body. Picked off. Doing too much again. #Bucs — Rick Brown (@LedgeronBucs) September 14, 2014
With the Rams starting from the two-yard line, the defense held strong.
Nice games by #Bucs defense. Showed blitz, Rams called audible. Bucs backed off. Incomplete pass. Rams to punt. — Rick Brown (@LedgeronBucs) September 14, 2014
The Bucs were forced into a three-and-out, but the defense again looked strong returning to the field. Greg Auman calls a near-turnover along with an unfortunate injury to the St. Louis side.
With the Austin injury, in rolled an injury update on Gerald McCoy. Ugh, Uh-oh and Yikes accurately summarize Twitter sentiment.
The skies opened up and the game went into a weather delay with 6:03 left in second quarter, all tied up at 7-7.
After 50 minutes the teams were ready to begin play. The Buccaneers defense would get off the field, but a three-and-out would put the Bucs' punting crew back out on the field.
St. Louis took over at their own 28-yard line. They made their way into the red zone, but the Bucs defense again kept them out of the end zone, forcing the field goal.
The Buccaneers took over with :33 left on the clock and advanced the ball to midfield. But the clock would hit zeros, sending the team into the locker room for halftime with the Rams up 10-7.
At halftime, the Buccaneers honored former linebacker and new Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks with his induction into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor. Here are some highlights from the ceremony from Twitter:
St. Louis started the third quarter with possession and an injury update.
The drive would end with the Buccaneers first turnover of the season!
And the Buccaneers were on the move, taking advantage of the turnover. Again, we go straight to Twitter for some of the highlights.
Hello V-Jax. Bucs move into Rams territory. First and 10 at the 36. #Bucs — Rick Brown (@LedgeronBucs) September 14, 2014
It would again be McCown with the exclamation point, giving the Bucs the lead.
The Bucs defense would get a big play from up the middle, but the Rams would continue to have success driving the ball, especially on third downs.
and another third down completion for a first down has the Rams down to the #Bucs 22. — Rick Brown (@LedgeronBucs) September 14, 2014
The defense did their job though, holding St. Louis to three. The Buccaneers official Twitter account gives the score and another injury.
Tampa Bay would start the next drive with great field position with a strong kickoff return. Bobby Rainey would get right back to work behind the a great block from Logan Mankins, as pointed out by Ira Kaufman.
The Bucs would settle for the three-point attempt, but the Rams came up with their second huge special teams play of the day, keeping the crucial points off the board.
The ensuing drive would result in a sack from Will Gholston, another touchdown-less defensive stand, but another three points off the leg of Greg Zuerlein. Greg Auman again calls it:
Tampa Bay would again answer back with time winding down. A penalty moved the ball to midfield and Bobby Rainey again put his stamp on the stat sheets with a big gain. He would end the night with 144 yards on 22 carries.
A Murray kick made it a one-point game with the Bucs on top.
With just over five minutes left, the Bucs defense needed a big stop.
But again, the Rams would convert successfully on big third-down plays.
And now thee Rams are at the 47. 2:35 left and counting. #Bucs — Rick Brown (@LedgeronBucs) September 14, 2014
Third down again for the Rams.
With St. Louis already in field goal range, the Bucs would again force a third down, this time keeping the Rams from converting and holding them to another field goal.
With :38 seconds to go and no time outs, the Bucs took over needing three points to leave with the victory. We'll take you through the ensuing drive and ultimately, the ball game.
