Cooper Kupp, Rams earn tough, road victory over Bucs on MNF
Sean McVay wanted more scoring on offense, and he got it from his team in a nationally televised Monday Night Football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
The Rams took a three-point lead into halftime and held on for a 27-24 road victory.
McVay upped his record to 32-0 since taking over the Rams in 2017 when leading at halftime. The Rams are the only undefeated team in such games over that span – every other team has at least two losses.
Jared Goff was on against the Bucs, finishing 39 of 51 for 376 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Goff was not sacked and finished with a 99.8 passer rating.
With the win, the Rams improved to 7-3 on the year, once again grabbing a share of the NFC West division lead with the Seattle Seahawks. Tampa Bay drops to 7-4 on the year.
Defensively, the Rams did a nice job on Tom Brady, who finished 26-of-48 for 216 passing yards, with two touchdowns and two costly interceptions.
The Rams also held the Bucs to just 42 rushing yards.
Key play: With just under two minutes left and the Rams up by three points, rookie Jordan Fuller corralled his second interception of the game on a ball intended for tight end Cameron Brate down the middle of the field. The Ohio State product got his first NFL career interception, also in the second half, on another awful pass down the middle of the field by Brady, who was pressured on the play.
Top player: Cooper Kupp was open early and often against the Tampa Bay defense, particularly in the middle of he field. Kupp finished with 11 catches for 145 receiving yards. Fellow wide receiver Robert Woods finished with 12 receptions for 130 receiving yards and score, making the receiving duo the first two players in franchise history to finish with at least 10 catches in one game.
What I liked: Joe Noteboom did a nice job at left tackle in place of Andrew Whitworth. Jared Goff was not sacked in the game. … New kicker Matt Gay made all his extra points, along with 40 and 38-yard field goals. Gay also went 2-for-3 on touchbacks. … Rookies Cam Akers and Van Jefferson both got their first career touchdowns against the Bucs -- Jefferson on a 7-yard slant route for a TD and Akers on a 4-yard flat route for a score.
What I didn’t like: Two defensive pass interference penalties led to big gains for the Bucs and set up touchdowns. Both occurred on third down. … The Rams had just five rushing yards in the first half. … While Gay was mostly solid, he did push a 44-yard field goal wide right in the second half.
Injury report: Tight end Tyler Higbee appeared to re-injure his hand in the second half, but returned to the game. … Linebacker Micah Kiser suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the field. He did not return.
Up next: The Rams return home to face NFC West division rival the San Francisco 49ers on a short week on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
