Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
“Thank the lord we’re not coming back out here,” says safety John Johnson, about the Rams wrapping up their brutal stretch of east-coast travel.

Lots of praise from Jared Goff and Robert Woods tonight on Joe Noteboom’s first start at LT – especially considering the circumstances.

Rams CV@RamsCV79
Rams are second youngest team in the NFL, picking up quality free agents, excellent coaching staff, glad they are in 1sr place this late in the season

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
In his first 102 NFL games, Aaron Donald was held without a tackle just once.

In each of his last two games, Donald has had zero tackles.

Btw in no way is this a critique of Donald. He gets held all the time and is doubled/tripled often. Still probably the best non-QB in the NFL.

Just crazy that he hasn’t had a tackle since Week 8.

CBS Sports HQ@CBSSportsHQ
Rams Defense Since Week 4: NFL RANK
16.2 PPG 1st
258.3 YPG 1st
4.3 Yds/play 1st
172.8 Pass YPG 1st
5.9 Yds/att 1st

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
there’s probably an NFL rule that needs fixing. That Brady double-pass penalty did not include a loss of down. So the Rams had to choose between 4th-and-2 or 3rd-and-15. As I see it, should be like an intentional grounding. What an odd sequence.

the Rams declined the penalty. Accepting the penalty would have given the Bucs 3rd-and-15 and another shot at it. Defending team shouldn’t have to make that choice.

Tom Brady's second INT caps off another flat Bucs prime-time performance in loss vs. Ramshttps://t.co/QfmnTMAxuG pic.twitter.com/u3AHytgxtU

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) November 24, 2020

🙂 pic.twitter.com/IKEwVtVSvw

— Rams Brothers (@RamsBrothers) November 24, 2020

MOOD: @AaronDonald97 @MichaelBrockers pic.twitter.com/0hYF2HD9Eq

— Sebastian Joseph-Day (@SJD_51) November 24, 2020

Holding in the endzone. Automatic safety. pic.twitter.com/FhLYr7bdtr

— jake (@jakesstatefarm7) November 24, 2020

ESPN Stats & Info@ESPNStatsInfo
Jared Goff completed 39 passes en route to a 27-24 Rams win over the Bucs.

That puts him alongside Tom Brady (2009 vs Bills) for the 2nd-most completions in a Monday Night Football Game.

Ken Anderson holds the MNF single-game completion record of 40, set in 1982.

Sosa K@QBsMVP
This game was especially big for the Rams because it could help decide NFC playoff seeding down the line. The Rams now hold tiebreakers over the Seahawks, Bears, and Buccaneers.

Matt Bowen@MattBowen41
Jared Goff made the throws tonight. And McVay schemed-up zone coverage. Had answers for pressure, too.

Davante Adams@tae15adams
Cooper Kupp is the most underrated receiver in the league.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Sean McVay ends his presser by saying Matt Gay looks like he trains with Aaron Donald.

“Kicker’s jacked, man.”

Matt is slightly off-camera because he’s next on Zoom. On his way out, we hear McVay go, “F—-kin’ JACKED kicker, man!”

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Kupp/Woods: 28 targets, 23 catches, 275 yards

Brown/Godwin/Evans: 32 targets, 20 catches, 159 yards

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Goff had a ton of pressure on him tonight. Managed the offense really well. You still hate to see the INTs but the whole offense was on his shoulders tonight and he got it done.

PFF@PFF
Tom Brady on throws 15+ yards downfield:

Black small square 1-9
Black small square 18 yards
Black small square 2 INT

RIPKobeBeanBryant@Rams24_7
-Rams are allowing 4.6 ppg in the second half of games.
-Highest total in a second half: 14.
-7 points and fewer in 8 games
This isn’t an anomaly after 10 games. We will be in every game. This bodes well come January

Rams Brothers@RamsBrothers
Safe to say Goff has outplayed Russell Wilson and Tom Brady in back-to-back weeks.

Jared Goff over the last two weeks: 678 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 1 fumble lost, 2 wins

Russell Wilson & Tom Brady combined over the last two weeks vs. the #Rams: 464 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 1 fumble lost

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Sean McVay is 32-0 when leading at halftime. “You guys gotta stop saying that. You’re going to jinx us. Please stop saying that.”

Matt Bowen@MattBowen41
Tom Brady’s sub-par games this season…

Front four pressure (with twists/stunts) + split-safety coverage in the secondary.

CHI, NYG, NO, LAR

Defense leads the way as Rams hold off Tom Brady, Buccaneers for Monday night winhttps://t.co/A838KvnWF8 pic.twitter.com/If7ZxraLTY

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) November 24, 2020

Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods put up MONSTER numbers on MNF! 😯 pic.twitter.com/M9KiIX889z

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 24, 2020

Zooey wrote:

On my drive to the hardware store this morning, a guy on NPR, who is a political expert, was explaining that the problem with young people is that social media for some reason invites political extremism, and that’s why youngsters are in favor of medicare for all.

For the first time in NFL history, there will be an all-Black officiating crew working an NFL game tonight in Rams-Bucs. Speaking to current and former Black officials at various levels, I got the same reaction.

“It’s about time.” https://t.co/9SZeH7136B pic.twitter.com/duNeT9Yxjp

— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) November 23, 2020

The only Rams uniform good enough for Warren Beatty. pic.twitter.com/Fn03cCOdUT

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) November 16, 2020

Tampa Bay Buccaneers must solve prime-time problems to realize Super Bowl dreams

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30350768/bucs-solve-prime-problems-realize-super-bowl-dreams

TAMPA, Fla. — With the scoreboard reading 38-3 after a humiliating loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians told what he described as a “pissed off” locker room that everyone needed to “look in the mirror.”

The Buccaneers came up empty once again on national television, and this time, it meant being swept by a divisional opponent, knocking the Bucs out of first place in the NFC South.

“[It] really couldn’t have gotten much worse than the Sunday night game — that was rock bottom,” tight end Cameron Brate said. “Nothing worked. Everyone played terribly.”

But it wasn’t just Sunday night. The Bucs are 7-3 for the first time since 2010, but they’re 1-2 in prime-time games, rare commodities until this year. Those games have become both a gift and a curse, thanks to Tom Brady being the quarterback, and something the Bucs will have to overcome if they want to reach the postseason and secure a seventh championship for Brady.

“We have stunk in those games,” Arians said.

On the one hand, prime-time games provide rare national exposure for players such as Lavonte David, who is arguably one of the best inside linebackers in the league the past eight seasons but has reached the Pro Bowl only once. On the other hand, the Bucs have played lousy in their prime-time games, averaging 15.67 points and giving up 27 points per game this season, compared to scoring 35.57 and giving up 20.71 in 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET games.

This week, Arians overhauled the team’s practice schedule in preparation for Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday Night Football on ESPN). First, he gave his players Wednesday off to rest after treating it as a bonus practice before the team’s first Monday night game. Then the Bucs had their normal 11:25 a.m. practice Thursday, followed by a 7:30 p.m. practice Friday at Raymond James Stadium and a Saturday night practice at the facility.

“We’ve got to try something because we’ve had really, really poor starts in night ballgames,” said Arians, who will also have the Bucs do some work Monday morning in hopes of getting off to a better start. “What we’re trying to do now is practice at night so that we know when to rev it up.”

Brate added, “Obviously, we have a night game coming up this week, and if things go the way that we think, where we’re playing playoff games, then we’re gonna be on that stage definitely more often toward the end of the year as well, so it’s something that we’ve gotta kind of figure out.”

‘Guys’ body clocks just roll differently’
The Bucs have played most of their games the past several years at 1 p.m. and typically have practiced at 11 a.m. during the week, so that’s when they’re used to being mentally sharp and primed to compete — not seven hours later.

“When you look at it for a 1 o’clock game, as soon as you wake up, the game is right on top of you,” defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers said. “And these guys’ body clocks just roll differently than when you wake up on a night game — you kind of just sit around — like we always say, you hurry up and wait. So you’re sitting around. You’re sitting around constantly. Then all a sudden at 8, they want you to be wide-open, and sometimes it has affected us a little differently, and we’ve been off to a couple slow starts.”

Brate, who has played in 11 prime-time games in his career, thinks there’s a unique challenge to playing Monday night, as opposed to other prime-time slots.

“The Thursday night game, you’re just trying to go over the game plan as much as you can because it’s pretty new. You haven’t really practiced much of it,” he said. “Sunday, you’ve got football on all day. Monday’s the weird one, for sure. It definitely is a whole different deal. You’re sitting there waiting the whole day to play the game.”

Brate emphasized that each player has to come up with a routine that works for him.

“I like to go for a long walk in the morning. You get out, exercise a little, take a nap and go over the game plan,” Brate said. “That’s pretty much it. It’s pretty boring.”

Brady focuses on being mentally ready.

“You kind of get your physical prep done at your last day of practice, and then it’s a lot of mental prep from that point on,” he said. “Even all day Monday, I’ll be studying tape and making sure I’m prepared and have seen every look, I know how to handle every situation, and then you’ve gotta go out there and execute it.”

David, who has played 13 night games in his career, prefers to stay active throughout the day after a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast. He’ll get in a light workout, such as jogging, take a nap and then start stretching in the afternoon.

“You can’t just sit around all day because once it’s time to play, you just can’t pop up and get ready because you’ll probably be drowsy all day. You’ll probably be lagging and dragging around,” David said.

But it’s a balancing act.

“You’ve gotta get yourself ready, but like, how early do you really start to lock in and get yourself ready mentally, the adrenaline, all that stuff?” said running backs coach Todd McNair, who played eight years in the NFL. “Sometimes you wait until you get to the stadium, and sometimes it kicks in a little late. You have to wrestle with getting prepared too long, getting prepared too early … maybe a little mental burnout on the day.”

David, however, sees the lengthy wait as a positive. Take the Rams, for instance. Offensive coordinator Sean McVay loves to use pre-snap motion and play-action, which can get anxious linebackers out of position.

“It gives you time to knock out some things that you may have questions about coming into that game,” David said. “You’ve just gotta find time to do something. In my opinion, you can’t just sit around and wait for the game to come.”

What do the numbers say
In non-prime-time games, the Bucs’ offensive efficiency, which measures success on a per-play basis, is 81.9, according to ESPN Stats & Information. There are currently only two other teams with offensive efficiency ratings above 80 this season: the Kansas City Chiefs (86.0) and Green Bay Packers (81.9). But the Bucs’ offensive efficiency in prime-time games is 35.6.

In seven non-prime-time games, the Bucs have averaged 4.28 offensive touchdowns per game (30 total). In their three prime-time games, they have scored a total of three.

In non-prime-time games, the Bucs’ third-down conversion rate is 49.5%, whereas in prime time, it’s just more than half that, at 25.7%. In non-prime-time games, their red zone touchdown efficiency is 75.8%, and in prime time, it’s 42.9%.

In non-prime-time games, the Bucs have a league-best 50% tight-window completion rate. In prime-time games, it’s 21.1% — 26th in the league.

Slow starts have been a problem on offense. In the first halves of their seven non-prime-time games, the Bucs have had a total of four turnovers. They’ve recorded four turnovers in the first halves of three prime-time games. Opponents have also scored 21 points off turnovers in the first halves of the Bucs’ seven non-prime-time games, and in their three prime-time games? Also 21 points.

On defense, the Bucs have given up an average of 1.57 red zone touchdowns per game in non-prime time. That number shoots to 3.33 in prime time.

‘We haven’t been one of those teams’
Is there something unique to prime-time games that winners seem to figure out? Do coaches handle those games differently or have a proclivity for trick plays or more aggressive blitzes? Arians doesn’t think so.

“I think the teams that are in prime time year in and year out [are successful],” Arians said.

His point is valid. Of the top five winningest teams the past five seasons in prime time, all five are in the top seven of prime-time games played in that span.

Seattle Seahawks: 15-5 (.738)

Pittsburgh Steelers: 14-5 (.737)

Philadelphia Eagles: 15-6 (.714)

Kansas City Chiefs: 16-8 (.667)

New England Patriots: 15-8 (.652)

The Bucs are 24th, with 10, and they’ve gone 3-7 in those games.

“We haven’t been one of those teams, so we’re learning about that,” Arians said. “We have a couple players who were — AB [Antonio Brown], Tom [Brady] and a few other guys have been in a ton of prime-time games. The rest of the ballclub, you have to learn how to play then because it does ratchet up a little bit.”

Including the postseason, Brady has played in 78 prime-time games — the most of any active quarterback in the league since 2001 and second most of any active player, behind Las Vegas Raiders tight end Jason Witten. Brady is 51-23 in those games (.689).

The eight starters on the Bucs’ offense not named Brady, Brown (37) or Gronkowski (33) have played in a combined 59 prime-time games, so there’s a huge gap in big-game experience.

“I gotta lead, and I gotta go out there, and I gotta show up,” Gronkowski said. “I’m a guy that’s been in prime time many times, so if we want to turn it around, it definitely starts with a guy like myself, who has plenty of experience of playing at night.”

The Bucs will need to figure things out, as every game matters at 7-3 — especially conference games. Not only are the Bucs fighting to win the division, but they’re also fighting for playoff seeding, as only the top team in each conference secures a first-round bye. Playing against an NFC East opponent is also much more attractive than an NFC West foe.

Gronkowski wants his team to treat all games the same, though.

“It’s just another football game, and that’s how we’ve gotta treat it. You can’t let it get to your head that it’s a prime-time game, that you’ve gotta do this, you’ve gotta do that,” he said. “No. It’s just another football game. It’s just at night this time. We’ve gotta show up and do what we’ve been doing all year, no matter what time the game is. There are just no excuses.”

87% of Democrats support "Medicare for All," though Joe Biden doesn't https://t.co/VHFTIq36Dy

— #ProgressiveParty (@GottaBernNow) November 23, 2020

"I guarantee you…" pic.twitter.com/HRjKjtrziV

— Bad COVID-19 Takes (@BadCOVID19Takes) November 23, 2020

Who is going to win the Super Bowl?

Here are the 10 teams with the best shot, per FPI. pic.twitter.com/SrupSE9hM9

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) November 23, 2020