Rams offense		Bucs defense
By Mark Malone Special to ESPN.com The Rams' offensive scheme will control the game because the Bucs can't match up man-on-man in their secondary. The Bucs defense will be forced to play some zone. Watching enough of the Rams offense, I think offensive coordinator Mike Martz does a great job with his talent. The Rams have enough receivers and weapons in the game at one time that they can flood zone areas and create some real problems, whether the Bucs are playing zone or man. When the Rams lost to the Titans on the road, they came back in the second half and showed me something. Even though the Bucs defense is capable of bringing pressure, they will be playing on turf at the TWA Dome instead of on grass at home. Even though the front seven is outstanding, there are still problems in how they are going to match up in the secondary, not only with the three wideouts but with Marshall Faulk as a fourth receiver. Martz will do what he has always done, and that is to come out and attack. If the Rams go ahead by 14 points on the Bucs, I think the game will be over because then the Bucs have to throw the ball with a rookie quarterback. The Rams will dictate the game with their weapons, and it will force the Bucs to abandon their running game and throw the ball.		By Sean Salisbury Special to ESPN.com I don't know if there is any team that can stop the St. Louis Rams offense because they have three good receivers, an accurate quarterback and a running back like Marshall Faulk who can run the football and get out of the backfield as a lethal receiver. But there is no defense that matches up better than Tampa Bay. Where the Bucs differ from most teams is they don't have to put eight men in the box to stop the run. Their front seven is good enough. They have great linebackers and an active defensive front. The Rams will have to use up two bodies on Warren Sapp most of the time. Any time the offense spreads out, it puts the defense in a bind. But coach Tony Dungy and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin are bend-but-don't-break coaches. They won't let the Rams get crossing routes against man-to-man coverage like a lot of teams do. Why I give Tampa Bay a chance in this matchup is the Bucs rarely give up space after the catch. They won't let the Rams use their speed in the open field. Nobody can cover Faulk one-on-one, but the Bucs has the best shot of keeping their normal personnel in the game, keeping the integrity of their defense to stop the run, and still being able to defend the pass. The Bucs have the dominant inside player in Sapp, quick linemen who can pressure, smart and active linebackers, and a secondary that can cover and hit. Safety John Lynch is good against the run and the pass. Keep an eye on how many big hits Lynch has in the secondary on St. Louis' receivers. And watch to see if Sapp and company gets a bit overaggressive early in the game, hitting Kurt Warner to take the Rams out of their offensive rhythm.