6 key takeaways from Rams’ statement win vs. Buccaneers

In addition to winning their third game of the season, the Los Angeles Rams snapped a 10-game winning streak by the defending Super Bowl champions. They beat the Bucs 34-24 at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon, making it look fairly easy with yet another strong performance from the offense.

It’s still early in the year, but with each passing week, we learn more and more about this Rams team, which looks like it might be the best in the NFL. Here are six key takeaways from the win, putting the league on notice that Los Angeles is here to stay.

Matthew Stafford makes the Rams a Super Bowl favorite

Say what you will about how much the Rams gave up for Stafford, but he completely changes the outlook of this team compared to Jared Goff. He was sharp once again on Sunday, throwing for 343 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers – and he had that stat line despite missing DeSean Jackson on two deep throws that likely would’ve been touchdowns. He continues to impress with each performance he puts together, proving that the Rams were smart to trade two first-round picks and Goff to acquire him. As long as the defense continues to step up in the red zone and keep points off the board, and if the offensive line keeps giving Stafford all that time in the pocket, the Rams are going to be really tough to beat. This is a complete team that’s more than capable of winning the Super Bowl in February.

Cooper Kupp is finally showing his true potential

In his first four seasons, Kupp was pegged as a possession receiver who can only win from the slot. He’s still primarily a slot receiver, but gone are the days of him only winning underneath and being a chain-mover. He’s now become one of the best all-around wideouts in the league. He caught nine passes for 96 yards with two touchdowns, giving him five scores on the year. Kupp is clearly Stafford’s favorite target and that’s not likely to change because somehow, he keeps getting wide open. At some point, defenses might actually begin to blanket Kupp with a safety over the top or a linebacker underneath, but right now, he’s getting open with the greatest of ease.

Aaron Donald isn't the only source of pressure

It’s encouraging to see the Rams putting heat on opposing quarterbacks without that pressure needing to come from Aaron Donald. He had a sack and forced fumble against the Buccaneers, but he wasn’t the only one hurrying Tom Brady and forcing him into inaccurate throws. Leonard Floyd had a sack, Kenny Young took Brady down on an inside blitz, Sebastian Joseph-Day hit the quarterback once and so did Terrell Lewis. The Rams don’t always have to come away with sacks in order to affect the opponent’s passing game. Simply hurrying the quarterback and forcing quick throws is often enough to put the offense in tough spots.

There’s absolutely a role for DeSean Jackson in this offense

There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Rams offense and Stafford does a great job of spreading the ball around to get everyone involved. That’s why it’s become so clear that Jackson’s speed can certainly be used in some capacity. Three times on Sunday afternoon Jackson got behind the defense thanks to his flat-out speed. Stafford underthrew him twice but on the third one, the two connected for a beautiful 75-yard touchdown to open the second half. Then a little bit later, Jackson turned a short pass on a drag route into a 40-yard gain to set up Kupp’s second touchdown. https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1442250557045948422 Whether it’s as a downfield weapon or just a player who can gain big yardage after the catch, Jackson should get more opportunities.

No pass rush is too good for L.A.’s offensive line

If not for the Rams’ offensive line playing as well as it has been, Stafford likely wouldn’t have the numbers that he does. Not to take anything away from how well the quarterback has played, but he’s gotten a ton of time in the pocket, which has allowed long-developing plays to work. The offensive line has been a pleasant surprise for the Rams this season, stepping up against one of the better pass-rush units in the league – even if Jason Pierre-Paul wasn’t out there. Shaquil Barrett has led the league in sacks, Ndamukong Suh is a penetrating defensive tackle and Vita Vea is as good as they come for a nose tackle. Yet, the Bucs landed only four hits on Stafford all game long and had just one late sack against him. The play of this offensive line is a big reason for the Rams’ offense playing the way it has.

Secondary still has room to improve

It’d probably be wrong not to mention that Brady threw for 432 yards on 41-of-55 passing against the Rams, with a passer rating of 103.0. He didn’t have much trouble moving the ball on this defense, despite being pressured fairly often by Los Angeles. He hit 10 different receivers, five of which had at least 50 yards receiving. Jalen Ramsey had a good game, but both David Long Jr. and Darious Williams gave up chunk plays more than a few times. Williams didn’t play as well as we’re used to seeing him perform, getting beat by Mike Evans on the outside. There’s still room for improvement with this secondary, especially when facing a team with the depth at wide receiver that the Bucs have.

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