St. Louis Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin (R) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

MCT/Tampa Bay


Since forging a 6-6 record while filling a frustrated fan base with optimism that an eight-year playoff drought was about to end, the Buccaneers can’t even get a lead, let alone a victory.
Back-to-back drab performances wrecked Tampa Bay’s postseason chances, ensuring a fifth consecutive year without a winning record.
“We’re not there yet, and that’s what we get from the game,’’ Bucs coach Lovie Smith said Friday, less than 24 hours after a 31-23 loss at St. Louis in Tampa Bay’s only prime-time game of 2015. “I thought we had arrived. We’re getting closer, but we haven’t made it there yet.’’
In losses to the Saints and Rams within a five-day span, the Bucs (6-8) were outscored by a combined 52-16 margin through three quarters. They never led in either game, spending more than 110 of a possible 120 minutes in trailing mode.
Thursday night’s loss included the usual suspects — nine penalties, soft pass coverage, spotty special teams play and a slow start. The Bucs are 3-6 this season and 7-37 since 2011 when yielding the first points of the game.
Trailing 28-6 heading into the final quarter, the Bucs outgained the Rams 283-21 in the final 15 minutes to provide a deceptive final score. Rookie quarterback Jameis Winston finished with 363 passing yards and two touchdowns without suffering a sack.
“He is an outstanding young quarterback,’’ Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s fiercely competitive, he’s highly intelligent and in addition to that, he has a very good arm. He has every right to be frustrated with the loss because he hates losing, because he’s not use to losing and that’s a good quality for a young quarterback.”
Tampa Bay tied a franchise record with 30 first downs, rolling up 509 yards as Doug Martin took over the NFL rushing lead with 91 yards in 18 carries.
“Martin’s an elite back,’’ Rams defensive end William Hayes said, “and Winston is an up-and-coming guy. Dude’s a stud. I was telling people early, the dude is probably one of the biggest competitors I’ve ever played against. He can sit up there and take those hits. After he gets up, he’ll tell you to bring it back again, talking crazy to you. He’s a competitor. You can just tell by the way he operates his offense. He demands a lot for them.’’
A pass rush led by stellar defensive tackle Aaron Donald pressured Winston relentlessly in the opening half, and Martin made most of his yards on his own.
“I’d say they played pretty physical,’’ Martin said of the Rams defense. “Now that I think about it, the other team played a little more physical than we did, which led to not being as productive on offense as we should have.”
Smith disagreed, suggesting the Bucs matched the physicality of the Rams, who had dropped five of their previous six games. But while Winston had little time to work through his progressions, St. Louis quarterback Case Keenum posted a near-perfect passer rating of 158.0 from the comfort of an effective pocket.
“I understand the fans’ frustration — and ours, I might add — on us losing the last two games,’’ Smith said. “And there is so much more that goes into it than just a start. It’s the overall play throughout. And, believe me, we understand their frustration and we’re working to get it right. We’re making progress, but we’re not there yet.’’