5 Instant Observations From the Rams Dominant Win Over Tampa Bay

The Los Angeles Rams secured first place in the NFC after their victory

Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant (14) acknowledges the crowd after returning a pass thrown by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (not pictured) for a touchdown during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

INGLEWOOD, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Sunday Night action from SoFi and over the course of the Southern California beatdown, the Rams learned a lot about themselves after placing three of their veteran stars on injured reserve this week.

1. Matthew Stafford is the NFL's current front runner for MVP

What a night for the franchise legend. While Stafford is only in his fifth season with the franchise, he's quickly becoming the finest quarterback to ever represent the organization. Stafford would light up the scoreboard early as he tossed three first-half touchdowns. He would exit the game without recording an interception. He hasn't thrown a pick since week three.

Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a pass during warmups before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

2. The Rams will be fine without Quentin Lake

While this is just one game and Lake's on-field impact will be missed, especially down the stretch, the Rams proved that they can not only handle his absence but they can thrive without him. The Rams secondary forced multiple turnovers, made multiple pass breakups, scored a touchdown and had the game wrapped up by halftime.

Sep 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) takes the field before the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Josh Wallace had himself a whale of a game too. He was stout and physical while both Kam Curl and Kamren Kinchens took care of the deep third and the underneath.

3. Cobie Durant is a demon on the gridiron

What's mine is mine and what yours is also mine. That sums up Cobie Durant as a player. He truly believes any football thrown to his half of the field is straight-up disrespectful and any ball that goes airborne is inherently is.

Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant (14) runs with the ball after intercepting a pass thrown by quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (not pictured) during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

A self-proclaimed ball hawk who really is about ruining the day of the quarterback, Durant followed up a strong performance last week with multiple

4. Chris Shula just got hired as a head coach

If there were any questions on if Shula would be hired after this season, he just answered them tonight. Down a team captain against a squad who refuses to quit, the Rams defense put their foot on Tampa Bay's neck and did not let up until the contest was over, even after blowing out the opposition.

November 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Despite Teddy Bridgewater wrapping the game up, the Rams continued to hunt and they were vicious.

5. The Rams can finally afford to mess up

Since their 2022 season, the Rams have been winning ball games by the smallest of margins, as they didn't know how to play complementary football in all three phases. Not until Sunday night did the Rams finally tell the rest of the NFL that they have the league's premier squad and that there isn't one exploitable weakness unlike in previous years.

Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches game play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The offense has the defense to dare and the defense knows if they hold opponents to under 21 points, they'll win ball games. On top of that, they have the kicking game to secure victories from any scenario and the punting unit to pin opponents deep. The Rams are back.

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