TONIGHT

* The line: St. Louis by 1 1/2.

* Story line: The best Monday night matchup of the season has all the intangibles--revenge, desperation and the classic battle between a high-powered offense and stingy defense. This rematch of the teams that played in the 1999 NFC championship game--the Rams won, 11-6--is essentially an early playoff game as the winner clinches a postseason berth.

* Keys to the game: QB Shaun King and WR Keyshawn Johnson: King has attempted only 30 passes the past two games and hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in four. Johnson must step up in a big game and play like the superstar he claims to be. St. Louis receivers vs. Tampa Bay secondary: The Rams will stretch the field and draw the Buccaneer safeties deep, giving RB Marshall Faulk more room to work his magic. Faulk was bottled up in last season’s NFC championship game, averaging only 2.5 yards a carry.

* Injury report: No significant injuries.

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COMPARISON STL TB Points scored 34.2 (1) 24.0 (7) Points allowed 29.4 (31) 15.5 (5) Passing off. 336.1 (1) 152.6 (30) Rushing off. 107.6 (20) 128.1 (10) Passing def. 240.0 (28) 190.7 (8) Rushing def. 101.4 (9) 101.6 (10) Time of poss. 30:35 (14) 29:57 (17) Turnover ratio -9 (T25) +12 (5) Red zone TD% 61.4 (2) 57.9 (4)

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* The pick: Tampa Bay. The vaunted Buccaneer defense coupled with a grass field should be enough to neutralize the Rams’ blazing speed.