Rams-Bucs: Five Things to Watch

If nothing else, the matchup between the St. Louis Rams (5-8) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) at the Edward Jones Dome should be extremely colorful. The teams will be wearing Nike “color rush” jerseys, with the Rams in “yellow gold” and the Bucs in red. It also could be the Rams’ final home game in St. Louis is owner Stan Kroenke follows through on his plan to move the team to Los Angeles (7:25 p.m.; TV-KMOV Channel 4; NFL Network; Radio-WXOS-FM 101.1).

Here are five key areas to watch:

1. With two of the NFL’s leading Rookie of the Year candidates on display in Rams running back Todd Gurley and Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston, who has the better game?

Gurley, the 10th overall pick in the 2015 draft, is only 25 yards away from the first 1,000-yard rushing season by a Rams rookie since Jerome Bettis in 1993. Gurley’s 975 yards and eight TDs are even more impressive considering he will basically be playing in only his 12th full game. Coming off ACL surgery, Gurley was inactive the first two weeks and had only six carries for nine yards in his NFL debut Sept 27 vs. Pittsburgh. Gurley had 140 yards rushing and two TDs Sunday in the win over Detroit and was rested a couple days this week with the short turnaround. First overall pick Jameis Winston has completed 239-of-409 passes for 3,059 yards and 18 TDs with 11 interceptions for the Bucs. Extremely mobile, he also has five rushing TDs. His season has been up and down, but he did throw five TD passes Nov. 22 in a 45-17 win over the Eagles. The exotic pass rushing schemes of Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams — and Aaron Donald — could present major problems for Winston, who also won’t have injured receiver Vincent Jackson (knee). Gurley seemed rejuvenated last week in the debut of new Rams offensive coordinator Rob Boras and could find success again with a steady diet of handoffs.

2. Is Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald really as good as he looks?

Donald is not just a Pro Bowl caliber tackle with speed and strength burning a path to the quarterback. He could be one of those elite, once-a-decade or so players capable of dominating nearly every game he plays. Donald had a career-high three sacks last week and his 11 sacks rank fifth in the NFL. Former Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith is now the head coach at Tampa Bay and would love to have had Donald playing for him during his tenure in St. Louis. Donald leads the Rams with 21 tackles for loss and 33 quarterback pressures, needing only one more sack to surpass former Ram D’Marco Farr’s record for a defensive tackle (11.5 in 1995).

3. Can the Rams defense find a way to slow down Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin?

With 1,214 yards, Martin trails only Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson (1,251 yards) in the NFL rushing race. Gurley ranks fourth with 975 yards. This is a game that will test the Rams’ front, most notably run-stuffer Michael Brockers, the do-everything Donald, linebacker James Laurinaitis and former Bucs safety Mark Barron (team-leading 116 tackles). Martin presents a formidable test for a Rams’ defense that has had its share of trouble stopping the run in recent seasons and ranks 21st in the NFL against the run.

4. What do the Rams really expect out of Case Keenum at quarterback?

Judging by the play calls, it seems they want Keenum to play a lot like he did last week in the win over the Lions. Keenum managed to avoid any major mistakes (he did throw one interception) and he hit a few timely passes when he could. However, Keenum is facing a suspect Bucs’ secondary that has allowed 27 TD passes this season. The jury is still out on Keenum’s effectiveness as an NFL starter, but he seems capable of handling an offense for at least a few games and his mobility is a plus over what former Nick Foles showed earlier this season. Keenum has completed 26-of-48 passes for 260 yards with one TD and one pick. Those aren’t overwhelming numbers, but he’s presiding over a Rams’ offense that has ranked at or near the bottom of the NFL all season.

5. Still not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, what do the Rams have to play for against the Bucs?

Pride, for one. A strong finish could help make some the bad taste of this season go away, but not all. The trade for quarterback Nick Foles hasn’t seemed to fix anything and the Rams may be forced to continue their search for a true No. 1 signal-caller. Receiver is another area in dire need of playmakers, especially the type of impact No. 1 wideouts that most playoff teams feature. Gurley’s emergence has been a positive, as has the continued dominance of Donald and strong cornerback play by Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins. The expected step forward hasn’t been taken and the uncertainty over where the team will play next season looms large overhead.

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Rams-Bucs: Five Things to Watch."