1) Run the ball. The Rams aren't likely to get big numbers running, but they must keep on running to keep the Bucs' ILBs from dropping into coverage too quickly.
2) McVay must go in with the same mindset as against Arizona. Remember who Stafford is. He is hyper aggressive. So in clearly low percentage situations, send in the clearly low risk play. Don't be asking him to throw their way out of 3rd and long inside the 25 or 30. Past that.... that's different.
3) A high percentage of play action passing in the pass game. Of course, #1 must occur in order for this to work.
4) The Bucs really only have 2 Receivers that can hurt us: Gronk and Evans. Tighten down on these guys aggressively and let the chips fall where they may with the other ones. Tom Brady is happy to throw 5 -8 yard passes all the way up and down the field. He won't make mistakes so we can't go in with a "keep everything in front of you" philosophy. Otherwise they'll control the ball and score nearly every possession. Our D is playing well, and they play best when they are allowed to be aggressive as opposed to conservative or even "prevent". They are wired aggressive so use that.
I stopped predicting scores and outcomes a long time ago. I'm wrong too often.
That said, the Rams match up well against the Bucs. The Rams have won the past 2 games against the Bucs so from a confidence standpoint, of the 2 teams, it ought to be the Rams with confidence and the Bucs wondering.
Also, it is hard to overstate how much OBJ has come on in the last month, and how comfortable Stafford obviously is throwing to him. Having 2 WRs that are clearly 1a and 1b, and then having a very reliable Higbee is tough to defend. Jefferson isn't explosive, but his route running and top end speed make him an awfully good WR3. Then, there's Akers who is excellent out of the backfield as a route runner and receiver.
