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 half. 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 connection went for 22 yards amid a 14-play, 95-yard scoring drive for an early 6-0 edge:
Los Angeles Rams @RamsNFL
Staff and Coop connect again 🤝 pic.twitter.com/rkgpTO5xxu
That effort ended with Higbee corralling a high Stafford pass and running into the end zone from six yards out on 3rd-and-3:
Los Angeles Rams @RamsNFL
BIG RIG HIGS 😤@Ty_Higs19 with the game’s opening TD!! pic.twitter.com/X1obsYVCOz
The Rams’ next drive culminated with Kupp’s fourth touchdown of the year:
Los Angeles Rams @RamsNFL
COOOOP 🙌 @CooperKupp finds the endzone!! pic.twitter.com/H9ifKrRdx1
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:
Matt Harmon @MattHarmon_BYB
Cooper Kupp is such an excellent receiver. Guy is being fully unlocked with Matthew Stafford at QB.
One pairing 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:
Los Angeles Rams @RamsNFL
UNO!@DeSeanJackson10’s FIRST TD AS A RAM 😤 pic.twitter.com/v5REM4rBoD
Credit goes to Jackson for creating plenty of separation:
Next Gen Stats @NextGenStats
Matthew Stafford & DeSean Jackson (75-yard TD)
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).
🔹 Stafford (2021): 6th vertical route TD (1st in NFL)#TBvsLAR | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/vX598Vb0bX
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.
Los Angeles Rams @RamsNFL
Not one, but TWOOOO for COOOOP‼️@CooperKupp with his 5th TD on the year!! pic.twitter.com/N4tCvp92ET
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.
Buccaneers Defense Struggles for 3rd Straight Week
The Buccaneers defense anchored Tampa Bay en route to its dominant 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
The unit features a group of splashy and confident playmakers who dominated one of the best offenses in the history of football, led by a regular-season and Super Bowl MVP in quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
That defense returned all 11 starters (plus defensive coordinator Todd Bowles) in 2021 and had high expectations yet again, but the unit looks nothing like what it showed in 2020.
In Week 1, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns, but the Bucs offense did just enough for a 31-29 win.
In Week 2, the Atlanta Falcons, who scored 23 combined points in Weeks 1 and 3, dropped 25 in three quarters at Tampa Bay. The defense showed up in the fourth with a pair of pick-sixes, but Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan still carved up the Bucs with 300 passing yards.
In Week 3, Stafford was nearly flawless. The Bucs offense fared well, but it needed an A-plus effort to beat L.A. That didn’t happen, as the defense gave the offense no margin for error.
Granted, the Bucs have been dealing with injuries.
Outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul was out with hand and shoulder injuries. Cornerback Jamel Dean left midgame with a knee injury. The team was already without Sean Murphy-Bunting, who is on injured reserve with a dislocated elbow.
The shorthanded secondary put the onus on the pass rush to get to Stafford on Sunday, but as head coach Bruce Arians noted (h/t ESPN’s Jenna Laine), that did not happen.
JennaLaineESPN @JennaLaineESPN
Bruce Arians had no updates on Jamel Dean’s knee. I asked if his injury made their need for corners more pressing and he pointed to Pierre Desir and Rashard Robinson, who were both signed to the practice squad. He also emphasized that their pass rush HAD to get home. It didn’t.
Stafford was only sacked once. The Bucs have not had more than one sack per game this year. They notably had 10 in their four-game 2020 postseason alone.
There are some serious concerns with Tampa Bay’s defense at this point, and Jon Ledyard of Pewter Report pointed out the severity of the issue:
Jon Ledyard @LedyardNFLDraft
Can’t waste that type of performance by your quarterback if you’re the Bucs. Especially against that defense. Bowles and his crew gotta do some serious soul-searching after 3 weeks
The Bucs defense has a potential “get-right” game coming up next Sunday against the New England Patriots, whose offense put up just 13 points against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
However, Tampa’s defense needs to fare much better against elite competition. The Bucs haven’t passed those tests so far, but there’s plenty of time to fix these issues with the season just three weeks old.
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.