NFC Championship
St. Louis Rams (12-5) at Tampa Bay Buccanears (13-4)
6:30 PM on FOX
It seems rare lately to end up with an #1 vs. #2 matchup, but we have one in St. Louis and Tampa Bay. The story line is about to of the most successful NFL franchises in the past five season. St. Louis has been to the Super Bowl twice, and has a victory. Tampa Bay is looking to make history and earn a third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl and win.
The Rams are once again led by its aerial attack. Kurt Warner had another tremendous season, throwing for nearly 4,700 yards and 28 touchdown passes. The Rams had to rely on their passing game that much more when the team made the tough decision to part ways with Marshall Faulk, and although they do not have much of a running game anymore, they can still strike quickly. The Rams defeated Dallas to get here in convincing fashion, and now must face the Bucs again in the playoffs. Last season the Bucs defeated the Rams in the Divisional round 20-16.
The Bucs came off a wonderful 2003 season capped by its second straight Super Bowl, but changes were coming because of their cap situaton. Coach Brock Hicks would not let that be an excuse. After a slow start, 2-3 the Bucs are now on a roll, winning 10 straight. Brad Johnson had a super year, while getting necessary help from the running game of Michael Pittman and receiving of Donald Driver. The defense however kept it going in Tampa. The defense was 2nd against the pass and third against the run. Tampa believes this is the new form of a football dynasty and one that no-one thought they would see ever again.
Code:
Box Score: St. Louis at Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay, FL.
Conference Finals, 2004
Attendance: 65,400 (65,700).
Weather: 62 degrees, rain.
1Q: 09:48 TBY - Ken Dilger 7 pass from Brad Johnson.
1Q: 09:48 TBY - Martin Gramatica extra point.
1Q: 06:02 STL - Bill Schroeder 9 pass from Kurt Warner.
1Q: 06:02 STL - Jeff Wilkins extra point.
2Q: 12:06 STL - Jeff Wilkins 30 field goal.
2Q: 10:16 TBY - Mike Alstott 5 pass from Brad Johnson.
2Q: 10:16 TBY - Martin Gramatica extra point.
2Q: 04:39 TBY - Tatum Bell 1 run.
2Q: 04:39 TBY - Martin Gramatica extra point.
2Q: 02:10 STL - Jeff Wilkins 43 field goal.
4Q: 14:27 TBY - Martin Gramatica 31 field goal.
4Q: 00:20 TBY - Martin Gramatica 22 field goal.
Game MVP: TBY 14 Brad Johnson
St. Louis 7 6 0 0 - 13
Tampa Bay 7 14 0 6 - 27
Team Statistics STL TBY
First Downs 8 27
Total Rushes 15 39
Rushing Yards 75 130
Yards Per Carry 5.0 3.3
Pass Attempts 25 33
Completions 12 25
Passing Yards 131 380
Yards Per Attempt 5.2 11.5
Sacked 1 1
Yards Lost 5 11
Interceptions 0 2
Fumbles/Lost 0/0 2/2
Total Plays 41 73
Total Yards 201 499
Yards Per Play 4.9 6.8
3rd Down Plays 2/11 10/15
Avg. YTG on 3rd 6.8 5.2
4th Down Plays 0/0 0/0
Penalties 3 5
Penalty Yards 20 33
Avg. Drive Start OWN 31 OWN 27
Time Of Possession 20:38 39:22
St. Louis Individual Statistics
Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD
33 Harris 9 62 6.8 50 0
29 Goings 3 9 3.0 7 0
43 Faulk 2 5 2.5 3 0
13 Warner 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0
Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int Sckd
13 Warner 25 12 131 5.2 32 1 0 1
Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
80 Bruce 4 54 13.5 25 32 0
81 Holt 3 47 15.6 8 23 0
82 Schroeder 2 17 8.5 4 9 1
87 Cleeland 2 12 6.0 6 11 0
29 Goings 1 1 1.0 0 1 0
Punt Returns Att Yards Avg TD
Front Office Football 2004
Kick Returns Att Yards Avg TD
33 Harris 3 56 18.6 0
43 Faulk 1 18 18.0 0
Punting Punts Yards Avg Long In20
19 Gardocki 6 251 41.8 55 1
Kicking FG FGA Long PAT Att
14 Wilkins 2 3 43 1 1
Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
20 Herring 15 2 0.0 0 0 0
59 Duncan 8 6 0.0 0 0 0
73 Kennedy 7 1 0.0 0 0 0
60 Tinoisamoa 7 1 0.0 0 0 0
21 Garrett 5 3 0.0 1 10 0
31 Archuleta 5 1 0.0 0 0 0
95 Bernard 4 3 0.0 0 0 0
96 Kalu 3 2 0.0 0 0 0
72 Salave'a 2 3 1.0 0 0 0
52 Polley 2 3 0.0 0 0 0
24 Groce 2 1 0.0 0 0 0
46 Green 1 0 0.0 1 0 0
94 Jones 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
34 Harris 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
43 Faulk 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
47 Vaughn 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
Miscellaneous Fumb FForc Recov MiscTD KeyRBlk SckAlwd
75 Snee 0 0 0 0 0 1
62 Timmerman 0 0 0 0 2 0
59 Duncan 0 1 1 0 0 0
73 Kennedy 0 1 0 0 0 0
24 Groce 0 0 1 0 0 0
37 Caldwell 0 0 0 0 1 0
Tampa Bay Individual Statistics
Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD
26 Bell 22 67 3.0 10 1
32 Pittman 11 43 3.9 12 0
43 Canidate 4 18 4.5 7 0
40 Alstott 2 2 1.0 1 0
Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int Sckd
14 Johnson 33 25 380 11.5 56 2 2 1
Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
40 Alstott 8 100 12.5 73 23 1
84 Driver 7 173 24.7 26 56 0
85 Dilger 5 48 9.6 11 16 1
88 Abney 3 23 7.6 3 10 0
82 Rice 1 28 28.0 5 28 0
26 Bell 1 8 8.0 0 8 0
Punt Returns Att Yards Avg TD
43 Canidate 1 9 9.0 0
Kick Returns Att Yards Avg TD
82 Rice 2 58 29.0 0
Punting Punts Yards Avg Long In20
6 Kingry 1 29 29.0 29 0
Kicking FG FGA Long PAT Att
7 Gramatica 2 2 31 3 3
Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
47 Lynch 5 2 0.0 0 0 0
97 Rice 4 0 0.5 0 0 0
93 Godfrey 3 2 0.0 0 0 0
53 Quarles 3 2 0.0 0 0 0
25 Kelly 3 0 0.0 0 0 0
92 McFarland 2 1 0.5 0 0 0
20 Barber 2 2 0.0 0 0 0
55 Brooks 2 1 0.0 0 0 0
Front Office Football 2004
84 Driver 2 0 0.0 0 0 0
37 Conyers 2 0 0.0 0 0 0
88 Abney 2 0 0.0 0 0 0
90 White 1 1 0.0 0 0 0
45 Martin 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
85 Dilger 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
87 Mahon 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
44 Carpenter 0 1 0.0 0 0 0
Miscellaneous Fumb FForc Recov MiscTD KeyRBlk SckAlwd
65 Barber 0 0 0 0 4 0
63 Thomas 0 0 0 0 1 1
71 Jenkins 0 0 0 0 2 0
26 Bell 2 0 0 0 0 0
68 Andruzzi 0 0 0 0 1 0
40 Alstott 0 0 0 0 1 0
56 Pease 0 0 0 0 1 0
St. Louis Drive Chart
Quar Began Poss From Plays Yards Result
1 9:48 3:46 OWN 14 6 86 Touchdown
1 3:45 1:42 50 3 6 Punt
1 0:48 3:42 OPP 25 6 12 Field Goal
2 10:16 1:37 OWN 27 3 3 Punt
2 4:39 2:29 OWN 20 5 54 Field Goal
3 15:00 1:40 OWN 25 3 -1 Punt
3 12:27 1:52 OPP 31 3 6 Missed FG
3 3:46 0:56 OWN 11 3 2 Punt
4 14:27 1:29 OWN 22 3 -1 Punt
4 11:15 2:18 OWN 5 5 26 Punt
4 0:20 0:20 OWN 27 1 8 Game
Tampa Bay Drive Chart
Quar Began Poss From Plays Yards Result
1 15:00 5:12 OWN 42 9 58 Touchdown
1 6:02 2:17 OWN 27 3 -6 Punt
1 2:03 1:15 OWN 5 3 2 Interception
2 12:06 1:50 OWN 20 5 80 Touchdown
2 8:39 4:00 OWN 31 7 69 Touchdown
2 2:10 2:10 OWN 5 4 36 Half
3 13:20 0:53 OWN 30 2 16 Fumble
3 10:35 6:49 OWN 32 13 60 Interception
3 2:50 3:23 OWN 46 8 40 Field Goal
4 12:58 1:43 OWN 44 4 51 Fumble
4 8:57 8:37 OWN 17 15 78 Field Goal
St. Louis Red Zone Profile
Visits TDs FGs
2 1 1
Tampa Bay Red Zone Profile
Visits TDs FGs
7 3 2
St. Louis Rushing Breakdown
Direction Rush Yards Ave
Left 3 54 18.0
Middle 11 22 2.0
Right 1 -1 -1.0
None 0 0 0.0
Run Blocking KeyBlks BlkOpps RunPlays
62 Timmerman 2 8 15
37 Caldwell 1 3 11
64 Wohlabaugh 0 1 15
68 Turley 0 1 15
75 Snee 0 1 15
78 Jennings 0 0 15
87 Cleeland 0 0 14
44 Curley 0 0 2
86 Manumaleuna 0 0 2
St. Louis Passing Breakdown
Distance Pass Comp Yards Ave
Screen 6 4 12 2.0
Front Office Football 2004
Short (0-8 Yds) 4 4 31 7.7
Medium (9-18 Yds) 10 2 33 3.3
Long (19+ Yds) 5 2 55 11.0
Passing Attempt Comp BdThrw Dropd Defnsd Blockd Hurried Intrcpt
13 Warner 25 12 2 2 4 1 4 0
Receiving Target Caught Dropd Yards PassPlay
80 Bruce 10 4 1 54 26
81 Holt 7 3 0 47 26
82 Schroeder 3 2 1 17 14
87 Cleeland 3 2 0 12 19
29 Goings 2 1 0 1 9
Pass Block SckAlwd PassPlay
78 Jennings 0 26
64 Wohlabaugh 0 26
62 Timmerman 0 26
68 Turley 0 26
75 Snee 1 26
37 Caldwell 0 9
44 Curley 0 4
Pass Rush Sacks PsBlks Hurries PassPlay
72 Salave'a 1.0 0 0 20
96 Kalu 0.0 1 0 30
73 Kennedy 0.0 0 1 34
60 Tinoisamoa 0.0 0 1 34
95 Bernard 0.0 0 1 33
21 Garrett 0.0 0 0 34
20 Herring 0.0 0 0 34
24 Groce 0.0 0 0 32
31 Archuleta 0.0 0 0 32
59 Duncan 0.0 0 0 28
52 Polley 0.0 0 0 23
99 Wall 0.0 0 0 18
46 Green 0.0 0 0 13
47 Vaughn 0.0 0 0 6
38 Walton 0.0 0 0 2
74 Noble 0.0 0 0 1
Pass Defense Caught Defnsd Intrcpt PassPlay
20 Herring 6 0 0 34
21 Garrett 5 0 1 34
59 Duncan 3 0 0 28
31 Archuleta 2 0 0 32
47 Vaughn 2 0 0 6
24 Groce 1 1 0 32
46 Green 1 1 1 13
73 Kennedy 1 0 0 34
95 Bernard 1 0 0 33
96 Kalu 1 0 0 30
52 Polley 1 0 0 23
72 Salave'a 1 0 0 20
60 Tinoisamoa 0 0 0 34
99 Wall 0 0 0 18
38 Walton 0 0 0 2
74 Noble 0 0 0 1
Defense Tackles Assists RunPlay PassPlay
20 Herring 15 2 39 34
59 Duncan 8 6 39 28
73 Kennedy 7 1 39 34
60 Tinoisamoa 7 1 39 34
21 Garrett 5 3 39 34
31 Archuleta 5 1 37 32
95 Bernard 4 3 38 33
96 Kalu 3 2 38 30
52 Polley 2 3 34 23
72 Salave'a 2 3 16 20
24 Groce 2 1 39 32
46 Green 1 0 5 13
47 Vaughn 1 0 0 6
94 Jones 1 0 0 0
34 Harris 1 0 0 0
99 Wall 0 0 24 18
38 Walton 0 0 2 2
Front Office Football 2004
74 Noble 0 0 1 1
Tampa Bay Rushing Breakdown
Direction Rush Yards Ave
Left 8 39 4.8
Middle 25 68 2.7
Right 6 23 3.8
None 0 0 0.0
Run Blocking KeyBlks BlkOpps RunPlays
65 Barber 4 6 39
71 Jenkins 2 7 39
68 Andruzzi 1 9 39
63 Thomas 1 6 34
56 Pease 1 5 39
40 Alstott 1 4 32
85 Dilger 0 1 35
72 Bell 0 1 5
83 Dugan 0 0 7
87 Mahon 0 0 4
45 Martin 0 0 1
Tampa Bay Passing Breakdown
Distance Pass Comp Yards Ave
Screen 4 4 59 14.7
Short (0-8 Yds) 12 9 65 5.4
Medium (9-18 Yds) 12 8 113 9.4
Long (19+ Yds) 5 4 143 28.6
Passing Attempt Comp BdThrw Dropd Defnsd Blockd Hurried Intrcpt
14 Johnson 33 25 0 0 2 1 3 2
Receiving Target Caught Dropd Yards PassPlay
84 Driver 10 7 0 173 28
40 Alstott 9 8 0 100 27
85 Dilger 7 5 0 48 29
82 Rice 3 1 0 28 25
88 Abney 3 3 0 23 18
26 Bell 1 1 0 8 17
Pass Block SckAlwd PassPlay
68 Andruzzi 0 34
71 Jenkins 0 34
56 Pease 0 34
65 Barber 0 34
40 Alstott 0 27
63 Thomas 1 26
45 Martin 0 8
72 Bell 0 8
Pass Rush Sacks PsBlks Hurries PassPlay
97 Rice 0.5 0 2 26
92 McFarland 0.5 0 0 26
53 Quarles 0.0 1 0 26
90 White 0.0 0 2 26
44 Carpenter 0.0 0 0 26
76 Bannan 0.0 0 0 26
25 Kelly 0.0 0 0 26
20 Barber 0.0 0 0 26
47 Lynch 0.0 0 0 26
93 Godfrey 0.0 0 0 23
37 Conyers 0.0 0 0 14
55 Brooks 0.0 0 0 12
27 Richard 0.0 0 0 3
Pass Defense Caught Defnsd Intrcpt PassPlay
47 Lynch 3 1 0 26
20 Barber 2 1 0 26
25 Kelly 2 0 0 26
44 Carpenter 1 1 0 26
93 Godfrey 1 1 0 23
90 White 1 0 0 26
97 Rice 1 0 0 26
53 Quarles 1 0 0 26
76 Bannan 0 0 0 26
Front Office Football 2004
92 McFarland 0 0 0 26
37 Conyers 0 0 0 14
55 Brooks 0 0 0 12
27 Richard 0 0 0 3
Defense Tackles Assists RunPlay PassPlay
47 Lynch 5 2 15 26
97 Rice 4 0 15 26
53 Quarles 3 2 15 26
93 Godfrey 3 2 13 23
25 Kelly 3 0 15 26
20 Barber 2 2 15 26
92 McFarland 2 1 15 26
55 Brooks 2 1 10 12
37 Conyers 2 0 5 14
90 White 1 1 15 26
44 Carpenter 0 1 15 26
76 Bannan 0 0 15 26
27 Richard 0 0 2 3