Passage: The Buccaneers and St. Louis Rams renewed a rivalry that was popular from 1999-2004. The early part of the game was a field position battle, with Rams running back Steven Jackson rushing effectively in the first half. All of St. Louis' first half drives, however, came up empty on the scoreboard. Tampa Bay's first quarter drivers were also scoreless, with kicker Matt Bryant missing a 54-yard field goal short after slipping in the damp grass. Just before the two-minute warning, Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins missed a 42-yard field goal, setting up Tampa Bay's first score. After driving to the 17-yard line, a heavy downpour drenched the stadium. Matt Bryant connected on 27-yard field goal for the game's first points and concluded the first half. Tampa Bay received the second half kickoff, and rolled into the endzone with a 7-yard touchdown run by Carnell Williams. St. Louis drove to the Tampa Bay 10-yard line, aided by two uncharactaristic defensive penalties by Derrick Brooks (late hit) and Ronde Barber (taunting). The threat was moot, however, as Phillip Buchanon intercepted Marc Bulger in the endzone. In the fourth quarter, Carnell Williams, aggravated his sore ribs, and fumbled the ball while Oshiomogho Atogwe recovered for St. Louis. The Rams finally got on the scoreboard with a 25-yard field goal, narrowing the lead to 10-3 with 12 minutes to play. Back up running back Earnest Graham took over for Williams, and iced the game with two rushing touchdowns, the first of his career outside of the preseason.
Which team was the only one to score points in the first half?