Buccaneers vs. Rams: Three Matchups to Watch During the Divisional Round
The Buccaneers know all about the Rams and the matchups they'll face this week after playing them back in Week 3. Therefore, Sunday's matchup in Raymond James Stadium should be an exciting one.
There are a couple of matchups such as Sean Murphy-Bunting vs. Cooper Kupp and Shaquil Barrett/Jason Pierre-Paul vs. Andrew Whitworth that I wanted to detail, but as of this publication, there are still pretty big questions surrounding SMB's and Whitworth's availability for the game, so we will go with the matchups that we know are happening for sure.
Without further ado, let's dive in.
3. OLB Von Miller vs. RT Josh Wells
The Rams move Miller and Leonard Floyd around, much like Aaron Donald. Per Pro Football Focus, Miller has played 57% of his defensive snaps on the left side of the defense since Week 10 and he's only had two games -one being in Week 10- where he's play on the defensive right more than the defensive left.
So, it's logical to think Wells will see Miller for the majority of the game if Tristan Wirfs doesn't play. With all due respect to Wells, it's logical to think Raheem Morris is going to want Miller matched up on Wells, the backup, as opposed to Donovan Smith on the other side.
Miller has 6.0 sacks in his last five games, but about half of them were the result of other circumstances dictating the outcome. That's not taking anything away from Miller at all, but if you go back and watch the tape you'll see what I'm talking about.
The proof is also in the numbers. Despite tying for the fourth-most sacks over the final four weeks of the year, Miller was just 30th in pass rush productivity and 29th in win rate when rushing against a true pass set, per PFF. This was among EDGE rushers with at least 73 pass rush snaps.
Wells was commendable filling in for Wirfs against the Eagles. He did allow a sack, but that was the only pressure he allowed over 37 pass blocking snaps, per PFF. Miller certainly isn't the player he was when he won Super Bowl MVP a few years ago and Wells isn't an All-Pro like Wirfs, but both players can hold their own and can win reps when called upon.
Wells has been a limited participant in practice the last two days, but The Athletic's Greg Auman reported Thursday that Wells "looked fine" during the media portion of practice, so it looks like he will play if Wirfs can't go.
If Wells does play, he can't let Miller get the best of him on a consistent basis, because that will open up the floodgates for the Rams pass rush. And Miller needs to win his reps, because we all know what happens when Tom Brady has good protection.
And even if Wirfs does play, his matchup with Miller will be just as important.
2. TE Rob Gronkowski vs. the Rams pass defense
Per Sports Info Solutions, Rams safeties Jordan Fuller and Taylor Rapp saw the most pass coverage snaps against tight ends, but Fuller is on IR and Rapp hasn't practiced all week because he is still in concussion protocol, which means he could miss this game.
So, someone is going to have defend Gronk. The Rams used a lot of zone concepts to defend Zach Ertz last week, so multiple defenders from both the second and third levels of the Rams defense were on him throughout the game. Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, Nick Scott, Travin Howard, Troy Reeder, and even Eric Weddle got their reps in guarding Ertz and Co..
This is how it'll be with Gronkowski and even Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard on Sunday. The Rams will utilize their zone concepts on the aforementioned trio, meaning it will be on Brady and the tight ends to make sure their communication is tight and that they are clear on what needs to happen with the option routes designed within the scheme.
Don't let the feeble, final stat line for the Cardinals tight ends in the Wild Card game fool you, either. There were plenty of occasions where Ertz was open and could've made a big play - Kyler Murray just didn't see him or was too busy running from the Rams pass rush.
There's room for the Bucs to work with when it comes to this matchup. Will they be able to take advantage of it?
1. DL Vita Vea vs. C Brian Allen
If you want the blueprint on stopping Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense, then go back and watch the Week 9 matchup between the Rams and Titans. Defensive linemen Jefferey Simmons and Denico Autry went off for a combined 4.5 sacks in that game and they were a total nightmare/disruption for the Rams offense. L.A. has scored less than 20 points only twice this year and one of those instances was against the Titans.
Allen's pass protection -or lack thereof- was a big reason why the Titans' duo was so successful. They consistently pushed Allen and the Rams interior offensive line into Stafford's lap or just beat them on the inside, which caused all kinds of problems and stymied multiple drives.
But it all starts at center and Allen has not had a good year, in general. Per PFF, his 95.7 pass blocking efficiency in true pass sets ranks 30th out of 32 centers with at least 322 pass blocking snaps on the year. He's 26th of 32 in overall pass blocking efficiency, and has allowed a league-high 5.0 sacks among qualifying centers, as well.
Vita Vea has to take advantage of this matchup on Sunday. He'll also face off with guards David Andrews and Austin Corbett, but will primarily see Allen most of the time. Vea's ability to crash the interior will come in handy if he can make it happen. But if he doesn't, then the Bucs are going to be in for a long day against this Rams offense.
Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and other NFL news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
Main photo credit: John A. Babiak/@Photog_JohnB
