On Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, the Buccaneers did something they hadn’t done since last November—they lost a game. Injuries and mistakes were too much to overcome in Tampa Bay’s 34-24 loss to the Rams, which ended the defending champions’ 10-game winning streak.
Early in the game, it looked like we were going to get a defensive battle. It was scoreless after the first quarter and 14-7 in favor of the Rams at halftime, but the second half was a struggle for Tampa Bay’s defense. The absence of Jason Pierre-Paul and the loss of Jamel Dean certainly didn’t help matters, plus the Buccaneer offense couldn’t find enough of a rhythm to keep up with the Los Angeles passing attack.