Rams’ defense comes up big against Buccaneers’ Jameis Winston
Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston was carving up the Rams early in the fourth quarter Sunday, driving the Buccaneers to the brink of a go-ahead touchdown when the massive right hand of Rams defensive end Robert Quinn and the lumbering legs of lineman Ethan Westbrooks intervened.
Winston connected with Mike Evans three times for gains of 17, 11 and 15 yards, and Tampa Bay — trailing by four points — had a first down at the Rams 17-yard line. After a four-yard run by Jacquizz Rodgers and an incomplete pass, Winston dropped back on third down from the 13.
But as the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State cocked to throw, Quinn, crashing in from the right edge, delivered a blindside, tomahawk chop to Winston’s arm, knocking the ball out of his hand.
The 6-foot-4, 264-pound Westbrooks scooped the ball up and rumbled 77 yards down the left sideline, his escort growing to six or seven teammates by the time he reached the end zone for a game-turning touchdown, one of several defensive highlights of the Rams’ 37-32 victory in Raymond James Stadium.
“I saw it on the ground and thought about just jumping on it, but we do so much ball-drill work, I just picked it up and hoped nobody would catch me,” said Westbrooks, who was too winded after his jaunt on a steamy 91-degree afternoon to muster any kind of touchdown dance.
“I was pretty done after that. My coaches were like, ‘Why didn’t you celebrate?’ I told them I didn’t have the energy to celebrate. I barely had enough energy to get to the sideline.”
Winston kept the Rams linebackers and secondary so busy — completing 36 of 58 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns — that cornerback Trumaine Johnson used Westbrooks’ return as a chance to catch his breath.
The Rams defeated the Buccaneers, 37-32, Sunday in Tampa. Sam Farmer, Gary Klein, Mike DiGiovanna and Lindsey Thiry break down the victory.
“I swear on that play, when he was running, I saw seven of our guys around him and I said, ‘OK, he’s not going to get tackled,’ ” Johnson said. “I was so tired I literally walked straight to the sideline because I knew we were going to have to go right back on the field.”
The Rams had a 24-20 lead before Westbrooks’ return. Had the Buccaneers driven into the end zone, they would have taken the lead. Instead, the Rams pushed their lead to 31-20.
“Before that play, I really hadn’t done anything in the game, but that was a crucial moment,” Quinn said. “That was a big momentum swing, and guys kept chugging away after that.”
Johnson and Quinn were involved in two other critical plays, one near the end of the first half, one at the end of the game.
Late in the second quarter from the Tampa Bay 27-yard line, Winston appeared to connect with Charles Sims on a pass in the left flat. But Johnson delivered a bruising hit on the Buccaneers running back, and the ball popped into the air.
Linebacker Mark Barron picked off the pass at the 29 and returned it seven yards, to the 22. It took the Rams seven plays to score, but Todd Gurley’s one-yard touchdown run gave them a 20-17 lead 28 seconds before halftime.
“I was in cover-two and was reacting to Winston,” Johnson said. “He threw it into the flat, I drove and was able to hit him and deflect the ball. Barron was running to the ball, as he should.”
Quinn’s instinct to continue running to the ball on the final play saved the Rams at the buzzer. After a 70-minute weather delay and a 64-yard punt by the Rams’ Johnny Hekker, the Buccaneers had one last shot, taking over at their 44-yard line with 1 minute 42 seconds left.
Winston drove Tampa Bay to the Rams 15, and the Buccaneers used their last timeout with four seconds left. Quinn bolted in from the right side again, but Winston, unable to find an open receiver, scrambled out of the pocket and began running to daylight.
But the versatile quarterback never seemed to commit to the run, and that gave Quinn enough time to drag Winston down from behind at the four-yard line as time ran out.
“You have to have relentless effort,” Quinn said. “I gave every last bit of effort I had to get him.”
Only then could the Rams finally exhale.
“I knew [Winston] passed the line of scrimmage — he had to — but it looked like he was about to throw the ball still,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know if he was trying to trick us or not, but … I was just glad No. 94 came up with the sack. He’s a beast.”
Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna
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