Rams Make Statement in 34-24 Victory Over Buccaneers

The Los Angeles Rams have moved to 3-0 on the season after their Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Nicholas Cothrel | Sep 26, 2021

When two top-five offenses go head-to-head, you might expect fireworks right out of the gates. Not so fast. The first five offensive drives between the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all resulted in punts.

While each team leading up to this highly anticipated contest shrugged off questions throughout the week about this being a measuring stick game in terms of where they stood among the league’s top teams, it unequivocally Illustrated who the more superior team was as the Rams went on to win 34-24 over the Bucs at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

The Bucs offense, which led the NFL with an average of 39.5 points per game, was largely minimized by the L.A. defense who showcased immense physicality.

As Tom Brady entered L.A. with a league-leading nine touchdowns, he only found the end zone through the air one time. The Bucs tacked on other scores through their ground game, including a rushing touchdown from Brady himself and Chris Godwin. Brady finished the day passing 41-of-55 for 432 yards and two scores.

Meanwhile, the Rams, who've also been notoriously fast starters this season, took a while to find their footing on offense as well. However, once the Matthew Stafford-led offense got going, there wasn't much the Tampa Bay defense could do to slow down that unit.

Despite the entire first quarter seeing no points on the scoreboard, the Rams kicked things off early on in the second quarter, and everything was on display from there on out.

Stafford continuously looked in the direction of his favorite target – Cooper Kupp – who surpassed his touchdown total from a season ago, adding two more touchdowns to his 2021 campaign which gives him five scores on the young season after three weeks of play.

“There’s no telling where it can go,” Kupp said of the Rams offense.

Kupp, who torched the Bucs last season for 11 catches and 145 yards, picked up right where he left off, registering 12 receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Stafford also got the veteran speedster DeSean Jackson involved when he uncorked a deep strike for a 75-yard touchdown on the third play to open up the second half.

“(I’m) just trying to figure out a role, and just being patient," Jackson said Sunday. "Me and Sean had a long conversation, and (he said), ‘Be patient, I’m going to figure out how to get you the ball.’”

Jackson had just two targets combined in weeks one and two entering Sunday, and McVay said during the week he needs to do a better job at getting the veteran pass-catcher more involved. Jackson's big-play skillset was brought to the forefront of things as he finished the day with three catches for 120 yards and one touchdown.

The Rams tied their season-high point total of 34 points scored, but the play from the defense was also just as adequate in the team's Week 3 victory.

“We don’t want to peak too soon,” Jackson said. “But we know what we’re capable of doing."

The Rams defensive line applied pressure on Brady that saw two sacks and three quarterback hits. However, it was the coverage on the backend paired with the pass-rush that made the pairing so effective. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald and linebacker Kenny Young both forced a fumble, causing havoc for the Tampa Bay offense.

“It’s a big step in the right direction,” McVay said after the Rams' third win of the season.

The Rams will play in their first divisional game of the season next Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 1:05 p.m. PT.

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Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel.

Published Sep 26, 2021

NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.