The Los Angeles Rams showed why they are a Super Bowl threat, and Matthew Stafford is the MVP favorite in what was a dominating 34-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. The win improves L.A. to 9-2 on the season and gives them their sixth win in a row. Meanwhile, the Bucs are trending in the wrong direction, dropping their third straight to fall to 6-5. To make matters worse, Baker Mayfield left the contest due to a left shoulder injury.
The rout was on almost in lockstep with kickoff. After forcing Tampa Bay to punt on its opening possession, the Rams proceeded to march 80 yards down the field and cap off a 10-play drive with a Stafford touchdown pass to Davante Adams. That was the first of two touchdowns for the duo in the opening half, while Stafford piled up three scores through the air overall.
On top of the contributions L.A. got on offense as they built up a first-half lead, the defense also got in on the fun. In the first quarter, corner Cobie Durant ripped the football away from tight end Cade Otton and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. At the break, it was a 31-7 lead for the Rams, with the lone Bucs score coming on a 14-yard reception by wideout Tez Johnson from Mayfield. That was all the damage Mayfield would be able to inflict after he suffered a left shoulder injury that forced him to miss the entire second half. That thrust Teddy Bridgewater into action, but the Tampa Bay offense couldn't muster anything close to a comeback attempt.
For more on this win for Los Angeles, check out our takeaways below
This win, coupled with the Philadelphia Eagles blowing a 21-point lead to the Dallas Cowboys earlier on Sunday, has boosted Los Angeles to the top spot in the NFC coming out of Week 12. They now have the inside track at the No. 1 seed in the conference and the first-round bye that comes with it.
Stafford is the betting favorite to win NFL MVP, and it's easy to see why. The Rams quarterback began the night completing his first 12 pass attempts, which allowed Los Angeles to easily build up a lead over the Bucs. On the night, he completed 25 of his 35 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns.
This was Stafford's fifth straight game with multiple passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, which is the longest streak since Aaron Rodgers in 2021. Rodgers went on to win the MVP that season.
Mayfield was in discomfort in the closing minutes of the first half. After one Bucs offensive possession, he got checked out in the blue medical tent, but ended up coming back on the field. However, he was noticeably limited, particularly in the final seconds of the half when he tried to throw a Hail Mary, which resulted in an interception. After he let go of the ball, Mayfield was down on the field clutching his left shoulder.
When Tampa Bay came out for the second half, it was Bridgewater at quarterback, with the team initially listing Mayfield as doubtful to return. He was later downgraded to out and could be seen in a sling on the sideline. Mayfield finished his night completing 9 of 19 for 41 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. As for Bridgewater, he was 8 of 15 for 62 yards. Following the game, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield suffered a sprain and will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the full extent of the injury.
This game was turned sideways after Durant ripped the ball away from Otton. As Otton bobbled the ball when trying to make the catch, the Rams corner was able to get his hands in there and rip it away. Durant then had a relatively easy lane to the end zone for a 50-yard pick six, which was more like a rip six. This was Durant's second career interception return for a touchdown
With this looking like Tampa Bay will fall to 6-5, all eyes will now shift to "Monday Night Football" between the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. If Carolina pulls off the upset, they'll leapfrog the Bucs for first place in the NFC South. Those two division rivals will then square off against one another in Week 16 and Week 18.
With this win essentially secured, I'll be curious to see how much longer Sean McVay leaves his starters in. Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, and Puka Nacua should be covered in bubble wrap from here on out.
The Buccaneers announced that Mayfield (left shoulder) has been downgraded to OUT for the remainder of the game. It'll be Teddy Bridgewater from here on out.
The Rams defense has a thumb on the Bucs offense right now. Given the lopsided score, Tampa Bay kept the offense on the field on fourth down, but they had no chance. Turner was able to get after Teddy Bridgewater to take him down for the sack, his second of the night.
Looks like it's Teddy Bridgewater the rest of the way.
Mayfield doesn't look right. In the final seconds of the first half, the Bucs QB tried to throw it deep on a Hail Mary attempt and was in noticeable pain. Will be something to monitor in the third quarter.
The Stafford-Adams connection is borderline unstoppable. The duo has connected for a second touchdown of the night, this time hauling in a 24-yard score up the right sideline. Adams beat Bucs corner Zyon McCollum clean.
As noted by the broadcast, the Bucs quarterback is in the medical tent being checked out by trainers. Teddy Bridgewater is the backup if Mayfield misses time.
Tampa Bay is showing signs of life. Baker Mayfield fit the football in a tight window to Tez Johnson over the middle of the field for a 14-yard touchdown to cap off a 10-play drive. Baker Mayfield's legs were a key fixture of that drive, with the Bucs quarterback picking up two third downs with his legs. It's a 21-7 game with plenty of football still to go.
Los Angeles is up 21-0 over the Buccaneers after another touchdown drive orchestrated by Matthew Stafford. Colby Parkinson hauled in a 5-yard touchdown from Stafford to build up the lead, but the story on the score was arguably Puka Nacua. Because of his brilliance, all the attention was paid to him when stacked with Parkinson at the goal line. Multiple Bucs defenders stayed with Nacua, which left Parkinson wide open for the score.
The MVP favorite began his night completing his first 12 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown before his first incompletion.
Suddenly, the Los Angeles Rams hold a 14-0 lead over the Buccaneers. This time, it was the defense putting up points thanks to Cobie Durant. The Rams corner ripped the ball away from Cade Otton as the tight end bobbled a pass from Baker Mayfield and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. Nightmare scenario for Tampa Bay.
Davante Adams has been a heck of an addition for the Rams this season, and came into Week 12 leading the NFL with 10 receiving touchdowns on the season. Well, you can add one more to that total as the veteran hauled in a 1-yard touchdown to open up the scoring for Los Angeles.
Puka Nacua came into Week 12 second in the NFL, averaging 94.4 receiving yards per game. During Los Angeles' opening drive of the night on offense, he showed why he's arguably the best receiver in the league. He initially helped the Rams get into Bucs territory with a 31-yard catch and run, and then came up clutch with an 18-yard pickup on third down to help set up the opening touchdown.
Tampa Bay won the toss and took the football. That's a rarity nowadays, but it seems like the Bucs want to start off hot offensively and possibly play with a lead. Can't say I blame them with how hot Matthew Stafford has been playing.
