Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams - Week 3 Preview

Week 3 in the NFL brings a marquee matchup within the NFC. As the Super Bowl MVP quarterback, Tom Brady, and the defending champs make their way to SoFi Stadium to take on our Los Angeles Rams. It is going to be a battle between two 2-0 teams, and a possible NFC Championship game preview. It'll be Brady's first game in front of an opposing crowd as a Buc as well as his first professional game in Los Angeles.

Without wasting any time, it is safe to say that Tom Brady has been playing undeniable league MVP level football in his first two weeks. His ability and success as a 44 year old on the field is beyond shocking, surprising at any position, but especially quarterback. So far in this 2021 season, Brady has a completion percentage of 65.1% with 9 touchdowns and just 1 interception. The latter of which came in week one off of a batted up pass by running back Leonard Fournette. That pick ultimately was not Brady's fault meaning he has not thrown any interceptions due to his own mistakes. While TB12 IS playing phenomenally, it would not be fair to leave out that his first two games played were up against the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons lackluster defenses. There is not a whole lot of resistance coming from those groups,and playing against them as a competent QB in this league is a walk in the park, and a nice way to find your footing in the beginning of the season.

The Bucs bring back their complete offense that led the team to the Super Bowl victory last season. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is picking up where he left off in the Super Bowl game against the Kansas City Chiefs, in which he snagged two touchdowns. Gronk already has 12 receptions and 4 touchdowns on the year so far, and in week one against the Dallas Cowboys, Brady and Gronkowski eclipsed Niners Steve Young and Jerry Rice's touchdown connection record with 86. The record between the duo is now 88 as Brady found his trusty tight end in the end zone twice in week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. 

The weapons do not stop with Gronk when it comes to this Bucs team. Brady has stud wide receivers no matter which direction he is facing on the field. From Chris Godwin, who has 2 touchdowns so far, to Mike Evans, with the same number of scores. Antonio Brown, who will be out this upcoming game due to Covid-19 protocols, has had a hot start of 6 receptions for 138 yards and a score.

The Rams defense will have their hands full with all 11 Buccaneers offensive players on Sunday afternoon, although the matchup is still favorable for LA. With defensive tackle/god Aaron Donald applying pressure to Brady and with help from Leonard Floyd on the edge, the Bucs rock solid offensive line will face a tall task of containing those rushers and keeping their 44 year old signal caller clean. Not to mention a Rams secondary, led by cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who basically puts himself on the most threatening receiver on the field and shuts them down for 60 minutes. It is hard to pick who wins this matchup between these two units; both teams are incredibly well-coached and have veteran leadership that could make the outcome of this game come down to a single play.

The Rams offense has also been high flying through the first two games. It is sufficient to say that QB Matthew Stafford has found himself very comfortable in this new offense. Stafford has a very nice 69.6% completion percentage with 5 touchdowns and just one interception. His favorite target is 5th year wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Coop has been a nightmare for opposing defensive backs as he has been averaging 12.9 yards per target. Simply put, Coop is just always open. This is not an exaggeration by any means. Kupp saw a pass from Stafford in the season opener that found him 12 yards away from the nearest defender. His route running alongside his reads of zone defenses to find openings, and his incredible ability to get yards after the catch make him essential to the success of this team. Kupp has 3 touchdowns so far and will look to build on that stat on Sunday as the Bucs secondary will be without cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting.

Murphy-Bunting, who suffered a dislocated elbow in week 1, leaves a substantial hole in a stout Buccaneers defensive unit that boasts the scariest front seven in the game. That 7 is equipped with defensive linemen Ndamukang Suh, Vita Vea and William Gholston. Complementing that line are linebackers Shaq Barret, Levonte David and Devin White, who always give opposing quarterbacks fits- most notable being Patrick Mahomes in their 31-9 Super Bowl victory. 

Establishing the run game early is absolutely crucial for the Rams to sustain any sort of success in this game. As of Saturday night, running back Darrell Henderson is a game time decision as he has been battling a rib injury since going down against the Colts. This could leave the workload to Ex-Patriot Sony Michel and rookie out of Maryland Jake Funk. Both got some snaps in the game against the Colts and are the most undoubtedly prepared to help this offense with the run game. Thankfully, they'll be working behind an outstanding Rams offensive line that has been doing their part for the first two weeks of the season. Look for Michel to build off of a nice stat line he had in relief against Indianapolis.

It is very likely this game could come down to crucial special teams plays. For example, big plays on kickoff/punt returns, or made or missed field goals. Ex-Buc-now-Rams kicker Matt Gay is perfect on his year on all of his kicks so far. 7/7 extra points and 4/4 on field goals. If Gay can stay consistent, the Rams will find a way to win this game; a reliable leg goes a long way in the NFL. 

Sean McVay is undefeated against Bruce Arians teams since he has become head coach of the Rams. McVay swept Arians when he was at the helm in Arizona for his last season before his short lived one year "retirement". Arians would go on to accept the Buccaneers head coaching job in 2019 after a year in the booth with CBS. Rams and McVay notched a 27-24 win against the Bucs in 2020 on Monday Night Football that further proved that the Rams young head coach is in control of this head to head matchup with Arians, no matter which players he coaches.

Both of these offenses are more than capable of putting up points, no matter what defense they go up against. The coaching and preparation on both sides will be substantial and it will be a grueling battle on Sunday at SoFi either way. I predict the Rams edging out a 31-28 victory against the Bucs, with the offense making big plays in spite of the talented defenses, and the Matts-Stafford and Gay- being the key reasons the Rams achieve victory.