Rams vs Buccaneers Live Game Thread

The Los Angeles Rams will be taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time this season, at home, against a division leader in the NFC. 6 - 4 may not seem like much on paper, but Baker Mayfield was a leading MVP candidate earlier this season for a reason.

He has the ability to will his team to wins, with his clutch factor and multiple ways he can keep the drive going. He has a big arm and throws with anticipation that makes any throw look easy, while also being one of the best rushing quarterbacks so far this season in terms of go-to have-it plays.

The Return of Mayfield

Jan 1, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield (17) throws the ball in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mayfield hasn't been back to the City of Angels to face the Rams ever since his short stint with the team in 2022. It's thanks to that game that the Bucs were willing to take a flyer on Mayfield, and now, he's their franchise quarterback, and they have serious expectations with him leading the team.

His career resurgence is largely due to Sean McVay's offensive scheme, giving Mayfield creativity on the field to spitball a bit and find his own ways to move the ball downfield. He can also follow a game plan very closely, but he's been let loose more and more against the Bucs.

Another player who executes McVay's offense to perfection is Matthew Stafford, the current leading MVP candidate. The Seattle Seahawks' defense was able to keep him and the Rams' offense in check, but the last time the Bucs' defense was on the field, they let Josh Allen score six touchdowns against them.

This game is a perfect opportunity for him to get his MVP case back on track, as their defense has shown they're susceptible to big games being played against them. On the other hand, the Rams defense established itself as a top unit in the NFL after shutting down Sam Darnold the way they did, and their dominance is expected to continue in Week 12.

Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) is congratulated by defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) after recording a sack against the San Francisco 49ers in the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Mayfield has only thrown three interceptions so far this season, but he threw one last week, which only exacerbated their loss. He hasn't had a turnover in consecutive games this year, which the Rams are hoping changes once he throws against their red-hot secondary.

The Rams' defense has what it takes to limit Mayfield's receiving options even more, and their offense has the capacity to take advantage of a wounded defense. They simply can't let Mayfield bring them back into the game, and they should be winning their 9th win of the season soon.

The game kicks off at 5:20 PM PST / 8:20 PM EST and can be watched on NBC Sports!

Be sure to follow along with our live game thread for updates throughout the contest.

START OF THE FIRST QUARTER:

BIG PLAY: Rams CB Cobie Durant breaks up a 42-yard pass on Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka

BIG PLAY: Rams defense force an opening drive punt with pressure on Bucs QB Baker Mayfield

BIG PLAY: Rams QB Matthew Stafford throws the ball to WR Puka Nacua, who converts that pass to a 31-yard reception with his run after the catch

SACK: Bucs LB Yaya Diaby takes down Stafford for a loss of 10 yards

BIG PLAY: Stafford finds Nacua again, who picks up the first down with an 18-yard catch

BIG PLAY: Stafford throws to TE Colby Parkinson for a pickup of 15 yards, placing them at the 1-yard line

SCORING UPDATE: Stafford lays the ball in for WR Davante Adams, who catches it for a 1-yard touchdown, Rams lead 7 - 0

TURNOVER: Durant snatched the ball from Bucs TE Cade Otton for a 50-yard pick six, Rams lead 14 - 0

SACK: Rams DE Kobie Turner gets the team's first sack, as he takes down Mayfield for 9 yards

END OF THE FIRST QUARTER: Rams lead 14 - 0

SCORING UPDATE: Stafford threw a no-look pass to Parkinson, who caught it for a 5-yard touchdown catch, extending the Rams' lead to 21 - 0

SCORING UPDATE: Bucs WR Tez Johnson creates separation at the line of scrimmage and catches a 14-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield, Bucs cut the lead down to 21 - 7

INJURY: Mayfield has entered the blue tent with concerns over his left shoulder

BIG PLAY: Stafford finds Nacua for another big completion, a 24-yard gain for Nacua

SCORING UPDATE: Stafford finds Adams once again, a 24-yard touchdown catch is the result, Rams are dominating early 28 - 7

2 MINUTE WARNING

INJURY UPDATE: Mayfield is able to come back into the game

TURNOVER: The Bucs go for it on 4th and 2, but the play is broken up by Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr., turning the ball over on downs and giving the Rams excellent field position

SCORING UPDATE: Rams PK Harrison Mevis nails his first career field goal, Rams lead 31 - 7

PENALTY: Rams CB Josh Wallace picks up the game's first penalty, a 5-yard illegal contact penalty

BIG PLAY: Forbes Jr. forces another incompletion

SACK: Rams DE Jared Verse takes down Mayfield for a 3-yard sack to effectively closing out the half

TURNOVER: Forbes Jr. continues his amazing half, picking off Mayfield for the second time this game

INJURY UPDATE: Mayfield was kneeling on the field to end the half, his injury's lingering

HALFTIME: Rams up 31 - 7

START OF THE THIRD QUARTER:

PENALTY: On the kickoff, it was short of the landing zone, a penalty which was accepted by the Rams

INJURY: Bucs LB Anthony Nelson went down with an injury

TURNOVER: The Rams go for it on 4th, but come up short and give the ball back to the Bucs

INJURY UPDATE: Bucs QB Teddy Bridgewater is in for Mayfield

BIG PLAY: Forbes Jr. prevents the ball from being caught on an important second down pass attempt

BIG PLAY: Otton catches a 13-yard pass to continue the Bucs drive

TURNOVER: Turner has his 2nd sack of the game, a loss of 9 yards, which turns the ball over on downs for the Bucs

PENALTY: Rams C Coleman Shelton committed an offensive holding penalty, which removed a ridiculous catch from Adams off the field

BIG PLAY: Rams TE Davis Allen makes up those penalty yards with a 15-yard catch and run

END OF THE THIRD QUARTER: Rams up 31 - 7

START OF THE FOURTH QUARTER:

SCORING UPDATE: Mevis kicks a 52-yarder which extends the Rams lead to 34 - 7

PENALTY: Wallace picks up another penalty, this time defensive holding

BIG PLAY: Bucs RB Rachaad White rushes the ball for 16 yards, giving the Bucs offense some life in the second half

PENALTY: On the very next snap, Bucs OT Luke Goedeke commits an offensive holding penalty that sets the Bucs offense back

BIG PLAY: Bridgewater connects with Egbuka, who runs after the catch for a 32-yard play

TURNOVER: Verse sacks Bridgewater for a second time, a 12-yard loss, turning the ball over on downs once again

2 MINUTE WARNING

END OF THE GAME

The Rams beat the Buccaneers 34 - 7, propelling them to 9 - 2 and atop the NFC.