Steven Jackson has paced the St. Louis Rams so far—he has 10 rushes for 49 yards, and two receptions for 26 more—but it was three plays by wide receiver Danny Amendola that gave the Rams a 10-3 lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter.
Amendola caught a short pass deep in Rams territory and took it 18 yards to kick the drive off. Then he carried the ball around to the left side for 21 yards more to push the ball well past midfield. A 12-yard rush from Jackson put the Rams in the Red Zone, and on third-and-five Amendola and Sam Bradford connected for the wide receiver’s first touchdown of the season.
The Rams are clearly hammering at the Buccaneers’ much-maligned run defense. The 21-yard gain was Amendola’s first carry of the season, and the Rams also got four yards out of little-used back Keith Toston, who hadn’t had a carry since week three against the Seattle Seahawks. Thus far it’s worked—Sam Bradford is just 5-for-11, but the Rams have had no trouble pushing the ball downfield.