Harry How/Getty Images
Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdowns and 343 passing yards as the Los Angeles Rams defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-24 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Stafford found tight end Tyler Higbee and wideout Cooper Kupp for touchdowns in the first quarter. He then launched a 75-yarder to DeSean Jackson less than a minute into the second half before connecting with Kupp a second time later in the third quarter.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady completed 41-of-55 passes for 432 yards. He found 10 different pass-catchers on the day.
Brady also added a rushing touchdown, as did wideout Chris Godwin. The passing score was to Giovani Bernard from 10 yards out.
Both teams combined to start the game with five drives that ended with punts, but six of the next seven drives culminated with touchdowns.
The Rams ultimately scored touchdowns on four straight drives before adding field goals on its next two to keep the Bucs at bay.
The Rams’ win also ended Tampa Bay’s 10-game win streak that dated back to last year. Following a 27-24 Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the 2020 Bucs won four straight regular-season games before winning four playoff matchups.
As for this season, the Rams improved to 3-0, and the Bucs fell to 2-1.
Notable Performances
Rams QB Matthew Stafford: 27-of-38, 343 passing yards, 4 TD
Rams WR DeSean Jackson: 3 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD
Rams WR Cooper Kupp: 9 catches, 96 yards, 2 TD
Rams TE Tyler Higbee: 5 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady: 41-of-55, 432 passing yards; 3 carries, 14 rushing yards, 1 TD
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans: 8 catches, 106 receiving yards
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin: 6 catches, 74 receiving yards; 1 carry, 2 rushing yards, 1 TD
Stafford Dissects Bucs Defense
The Rams entered this year with lofty expectations after making the NFC Divisional Round last year and adding Stafford in a trade with the Detroit Lions during the offseason.
So far, they’re meeting them quite easily.
L.A. crushed the Chicago Bears 31-14 before beating the Indianapolis Colts 27-24 on the road to start 2-0.
But the Rams’ finest hours this season occurred on Sunday afternoon, and they have Stafford to thank.
The 12-year veteran carved up the Bucs defense, as noted by the Stafford-Kupp connection continuing to excel.
This one was for 22 yards on a 14-play, 95-yard scoring drive for an early 6-0 edge:
That effort ended with Higbee corralling a high Stafford pass and running into the end zone from six yards out on 3rd-and-3:
The Rams’ next drive culminated with Kupp’s fourth touchdown of the year:
Kupp had seven catches for 108 yards and one score in Week 1 and nine receptions for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Week 2. No wide receiver is having a better season than Kupp through three weeks, and it’s hard seeing him slow down all that much. He now has 25 receptions for 367 yards and five touchdowns.
Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports gave his take on the Stafford-Kupp duo:
One connection that hadn’t worked as well was Stafford and Jackson, as the two missed on three deep targets in the first half.
The fourth time was a charm, though, as Stafford hit Jackson for 75 yards and a 20-7 lead:
Credit goes to Jackson for creating plenty of separation:
Next Gen Stats @NextGenStats
Matthew Stafford & DeSean Jackson (75-yard TD)<br><br>Jackson had 7.0 yards of separation from #32 Mike Edwards when the ball arrived, Jackson’s most separation on a TD reception in the NGS era (since 2016).<br><br>???? Stafford (2021): 6th vertical route TD (1st in NFL)<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TBvsLAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TBvsLAR</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamsHouse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RamsHouse</a> <a href=”https://t.co/vX598Vb0bX”>pic.twitter.com/vX598Vb0bX</a>
Stafford found Jackson for another explosive play yet again on the next drive, hitting the deep threat for 40 yards to set up 1st-and-goal at the 10-yard line. One play later, Kupp caught a 10-yard pass for his second score.
The Rams ended the evening with a pair of field goals before the Bucs added a late touchdown.
The NFL season isn’t even three weeks old yet, but Stafford is looking like an NFL MVP right now, especially after crushing the defending Super Bowl champions.
What’s Next?
On Sunday, Brady will return to New England for the first time since he left the Patriots in free agency during the 2020 offseason.
The 44-year-old, who won nine AFC titles and six Super Bowls during his 20 seasons there, will lead the Bucs in a Sunday Night Football matchup that begins at 8:20 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
The Rams will welcome the Arizona Cardinals into town for an NFC West battle at 4:05 p.m.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
