Rams roll over Buccaneers 

Inglewood, CA (News 4 Us Online) – Inglewood, CA (News 4 Us Online) – The Los Angeles Rams continue to play complimentary football. The Rams had all phases working in sync with one another as they recorded their sixth straight win in a 34-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The game wasn’t even that close. The Rams were already up at the half, 31-7.  Quarterback Matthew Stafford had already made history. The Rams defense flipped a turnover into a score. And to boot, the special teams unit came through with a field goal.

It was a good night for Rams head coach Sean McVay and his ballclub. 

“I thought our guys were ready to go right from the jump,” McVay said during his postgame comments. “I was really pleased with the way that we started the football game. Defense was outstanding again. I thought offense was really in sync.” 

Staffiord found his rhythm early, throwing for three touchdowns in the first half after completing 19 of 23 passes for 210 yards. Those three touchdowns put Stafford in rare company. For the season, Stafford has 30 touchdowns and just two interceptions. 

Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers are the only other quarterbacks in NFL history to have at least 30 touchdown passes and five or less interceptions through a team’s first 11 games. McVay said Stafford is playing on a different playing field.  

“I think it feels like the game’s slowing down. I feel like he’s in total command,” McVay said. “I think he’s got a lot of trust in the teammates that he’s playing with. There’s a true ownership. I think he’s just totally and completely present and he’s really just enjoying the opportunity to compete week in and week out.”

The way he has competed has thrust Stafford to the top of the line in the race to the MVP conversation. Stafford has not thrown an interception since Week 3. During his remarkable run, Stafford has thrown for 27 touchdowns during this period.

“I’m surrounded by really good players,” Stafford remarked. “I’ve got great receivers, great backs, great tight ends. All of them are catching touchdowns and we’re getting in the end zone. I can’t do any of that if the guys up front aren’t doing what they’re doing and they’re doing a hell of a job too. There are still plays I want back and things that we can be better on, but I’m enjoying playing with this group.”

Another group having fun is the Rams defense. After coming close last week, the Rams defense bore fruit when it came down to sacking the quarterback.

Last week in a 21-19 win at home against the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams didn’t record a single sack. The Rams solved that problem by sacking Tampa Bay quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Teddy Bridgewater four times and pressuring them on numerous other occasions.  

The trio of Jared Verse (two sacks) , Byron Young, and Kobie Turner (two sacks) alone accounted for nine quarterback pressures. For Turner, the focus is getting a win as it is every week, he said. 

“It’s about figuring out a way to go out and get another W,” Turner said. “So we’re not out here looking at our record and getting caught up in that. We’re just focused on how we’re going to pick up the next W. That’s going to continue to take us far.” 

The Rams’ defensive front weren’t the only ones causing havoc on Tampa Bay’s offense. The Rams secondary came up with two more interceptions, one going for a game-altering touchdown early in the Sunday Night Football contest. 

After coming away with four turnovers (all interceptions) in their win against the Seahawks, the Rams secondary struck again with cornerback Cobie Durant securing a pick for an interception return for a touchdown. 

Durant’s 50-yard pick six in the first quarter seemed to take the breath away from the Buccaneers, who quickly found themselves down two scores just about as quickly as it takes someone to snap their fingers. 

McVay is enjoying the collective effort by his defense and the way they have played.  

“I think they’re getting better and better,” McVay said. “I think that’s a tremendous tribute to the way that these guys approach every single week. The game plans that [Defensive Coordinator] Coach [Chris] Shula and the defensive staff are putting together really accentuate and highlight the skills of our guys. I think we’re being really efficient on early downs and earning the right to be able to get into some of the different known pass situations.”