Rams 23, Buccaneers 13: Rookie Zac Stacy rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown and host St. Louis rode a dominating defensive performance to sink Tampa Bay.
Rookie receiver Stedman Bailey scored on a reverse and Greg Zuerlein kicked three second-half field goals for the Rams (7-8), who registered seven sacks – three by Robert Quinn – and limited the Buccaneers (4-11) to 170 total yards. Kellen Clemens threw for 158 yards on 16-of-20 passing to pull St. Louis within a game of the .500 mark.
Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Mike Glennon also threw for 158 yards, completing 16-of-26 attempts, and Bobby Rainey was held to 37 yards on 20 carries as the Buccaneers lost for the third time in four games.
Rainey’s 1-yard scoring run staked Tampa Bay to a 7-0 lead but the the Rams countered with a pair of touchdowns in a 95-second span early in the second quarter. Stacy scored from a yard out to cap an 80-yard drive and Stedman went 27 yards on a double reverse one play after Rainey fumbled, but a fumble by Stacy at midfield set up Rian Lindell’s 35-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to make it 14-10.
Another field goal by Lindell, from 32 yards, pulled the Buccaneers within a point 5 1/2 minutes into the third quarter, but Zuerlein drilled a 54-yarder four minutes later and connected from 25 yards with just under 11 1/2 minutes left to extend the lead to 20-13. James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree combined to sack Glennon and force a fumble on the following possession and the Rams turned it into a 48-yarder by Zuerlein for a 23-13 edge.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Quinn registered his 16th, 17th and 18th sacks, to take over the league lead and break the franchise’s single-season record of 17 set by Kevin Carter in 1999. … Buccaneers WR Vincent Jackson’s five receptions gave him 74 on the season, surpassing his previous career high of 72 set with Tampa Bay last season. … Rams LT Jake Long, a former No. 1 overall pick of Miami, was carted off the field in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury.
