The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the defending Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams in a nail-biter, 16-13, snapping the Buccaneers' three-game losing streak. Tom Brady led a methodical scoring drive in 35 seconds under the final two-minute warning to give the Buccaneers the victory over the Rams. Rookie tight end Cade Otton ran a chip-and-release route to the ride side of the formation, crossing the goal line as the cannons fired. Tampa Bay now holds a 4-5 record in the NFC South.
The Buccaneers outgained the Rams 79-19 in the first quarter. The Tampa Bay defense forced a quick three-and-out, and the Bucs followed it up with a 12-play, 51-yard drive culminating in a Ryan Succop 20-yard field goal. Despite a 19-yard gain by Julio Jones following savvy moves at the top of his route to gain separation, the Buccaneers were short of the end zone off a Leonard Fournette one-yard run. Both clubs then traded punts, as Vita Vea sacked Matthew Stafford to end their subsequent drive.
The Rams opened up the second quarter with a momentum shifting play. Stafford hit a wide-open Cooper Kupp down the right sideline for a 69-yard touchdown pass/catch. The eight-play, 91-yard drive gave the Rams a 7-3 inside Raymond James Stadium. On the ensuing play, the Bucs offense quickly got off the field and a game of trading punts ensued. Prior to the end of the second frame, the Bucs attempted a field goal shot to trim the deficit, but Succop's 52-yard attempt was blocked by Bobby Wagner, who timed and jumped it. However, prior to the intermission, the Bucs hit a 38-yard field goal to make it a 7-6 ballgame prior to the half. For the sixth time in nine games, the Bucs failed to score a touchdown in the first half. Tampa Bay's defense allowed 104 yards in the first half, 69 of those coming on one play by Kupp.
Coming out of the half, the Bucs had a quick three-and-out. On the following drive for L.A, Lavonte David stalled the drive with a near-interception in the red zone to force a Matt Gay field goal. His pass breakup ended the Rams' drive and saved a touchdown. Vita Vea recorded his second sack of the day, pushing the Rams into a disadvantageous third-and-17 situation. L.A. could not convert, and the Bucs took over under six minutes to go in the third. Prior to the end of the third quarter, Rakeem Nunez-Roches collapsed the pocket and sacked Stafford, making it third-and-long for the Rams. The Rams settled for a field goal, extending their lead 13-6 entering the final quarter.
The Tampa Bay offense could not sustain drives and fell into familiar third-and-long situations at the beginning of the fourth. A flip switched under the two-minute warning. Tom Brady took command and drove the Bucs down the field in a sensational comeback bid to the cheers of the crowd. Brady connected with Cade Otton off a chip-and-release route to give the Buccaneers a 16-13 lead, sealing the victory in Week Nine.
Highlights of note, with a 15-yard completion in the fourth quarter to Leonard Fournette, Tom Brady became the first player in NFL history to surpass 100,000 passing yards (regular season plus postseason). In addition, punter Jake Camarda hit a 74-yard punt (tied for franchise record) and a 68-yard punt to put the Buccaneers in favorable field position.
