It was as bad an outcome as you might have imagined – frankly, even worse.
It didn’t take long Sunday night inside SoFi Stadium to see that this was not going to be a memorable outing for the Tampa Bay Bucs, at least not for any of the right reasons.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the dismal aftermath against the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay offensive guard Luke Goedeke summed up the game to a tee. “Abysmal on our end,” he said. “I mean the Rams walked all of over us in every facet of the game, offensively, defensively, special teams. I feel like the score spoke for itself.”
Indeed it did: a 34-7 drubbing at the hands of a Rams team now tops in the NFC at 9-2 and playing at an altogether higher level than the Bucs. It also marked their third straight loss, dropping them into a temporary tie with Carolina for first place in the NFC South at 6-5, pending the outcome of Monday night’s Panthers-49ers game in San Francisco.
Without question, the difference was Rams quarterback and future Hall of Famer Matthew Stafford, who wasted no time putting on a passing clinic with helping hands from two of the NFL’s best wide receivers, Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. And on a night the home team honored its retired defensive line great Aaron Donald by handing out commemorative bobbleheads, the LA defense paid homage a smothering effort that had the real-life Donald smiling all night in the Rams’ skybox.
In fact, it was the Bucs whose fortunes were left bobbling, due in large part to an injury to quarterback Baker Mayfield’s left shoulder in the final seconds of the first half.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMayfield initially hurt his left shoulder on a second-quarter scramble for a first down, but stayed in the game. Later, with the Bucs trailing 28-7, he lofted a fourth-down Hail Mary from his 37 and was hit as time expired, kneeling on the turf, head down and clearly in pain. It was a far cry from the dream experience Mayfield spoke of this week regarding his career-rejuvenating stint with the Rams in 2022.
Davonte Adams hauls in a 24-yarder for a 28-7 lead. @Jayne Kamin-OnceaThis one was an utter nightmare: 9-for-19 for 41 yards, one TD, two interceptions, two sacks – and suddenly one big question mark.
The Bucs’ offensive leader sat out the second half, replaced by journeyman Teddy Bridgewater, and was later seen with his shoulder in a sling – suffering what head coach Todd Bowles described after the game as a sprain. How that affects his availability for Tampa Bay’s next game – a Sunday home clash against the Arizona Cardinals – or beyond remains to be seen pending an MRI on Monday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut assessing the Bucs’ poor play, on the other hand, required no diagnostic test.
“They got off to a fast start and we did not, defensively,” Bowles said. “Actually, it was two or three plays that hurt us in the first half. When they got on the board early, they got a turnover and ran back a pick six. We tried to play catch up but it’s hard when you give up 14 or 21 points.”
Where does this leave the Bucs with six games to play? The answer is entwined in the story of the team’s 2025 season: injuries and frustration. Just when the Bucs were counting on a potential breather next Sunday at home against the 3-8 Arizona Cardinals – featuring the much-anticipated return of tailback Bucky Irving – there’s a cloud hanging over the head of Mayfield’s playing status.
If he’s able to go, or if Bridgewater can rise to the occasion in relief while Mayfield heals, the Bucs actually have a chance to reset after suffering through a gauntlet of top teams: New England, Buffalo and now Los Angeles. The schedule instantly becomes friendlier. Following the Cardinals contest, there’s a Sunday, Dec. 7 home game against NFC South rival New Orleans, last place in the division at 2-9. That’s followed by a Thursday night, Dec. 11 contest with another division foe, Atlanta at 4-7.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThose are three winnable games that could lift the Bucs to 9-5 just in time to go the road to Charlotte, N.C. for what now looms as a key game against the division co-leading Panthers. A road game against the struggling Miami Dolphins (4-7) follows on Dec. 28, and the Bucs close the regular season at home against the Panthers on Jan. 4 in what may be a battle for the division title.
So is regaining momentum for a playoff run, after this dreadful three-game stretch, doable?
Before Mayfield’s injury, the answer was an easy yes. Now, it hinges on two key questions: How much time, if any, will he miss (and it’s hard to imagine him going from a sling to the starting lineup a week later); and will Bridgewater be able to hold the fort if Mayfield does have to sit out for a few games? The answer is no longer as clearcut.
But here's one thing to remember that may provide some solace to the Bucs. In 2019 while with New Orleans, Bridgewater took over for an injured Drew Brees and went 5-0 in relief.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“He’s a veteran … he knows what to do,” Bowles said. “He kind of minimized some of the damage. We didn’t make some of the plays we wanted to. But given a full week of practice, taking every rep, if he has to play in a game next week, we’ll be confident in him.”
The Bucs actually started reasonably well Sunday night, reaching LA’s 39 on the opening drive of the game. But following a punt, Stafford showed why he is playing as well as ever at age 37 and in his 17th NFL season. He directed a 10-play, 80-yard drive with pinpoint precision, hitting all eight of his passes for 89 yards, culminating with a perfectly placed, 1-yard fade toss to Adams and a 7-0 lead.
By the time it was all over, Stafford had completed 25 of 35 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions and a quarterback rating of 122.7. He now has thrown 30 touchdowns against just two interceptions. And he’s also connected on 27 consecutive touchdown passes without any interceptions – tying Tom Brady and three ahead of Peyton Manning.
“He’s been on a roll,” Bowles said. “Obviously, some of the things we aided him with. He’s already a great quarterback without us helping him.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere was also the night’s other noteworthy bobble beyond the 60,000 Donald handouts.
It happened when Tampa Bay tight end Cade Otton couldn’t find the handle on a pass from Baker Mayfield late in the first quarter, with the Bucs trailing 7-0. Otton let the ball slip from his grasp and it wound up in the hands of Rams’ cornerback Cobie Durant, who returned the interception 50 yards to put the Rams up 14-0 and fully in charge.
The Bucs punted on their next possession, and Stafford went back to work. He engineered a 12-play, 72-yard scoring drive that ended with one of his trademark “no look” passes – a five-yard strike to wide receiver Colby Parkinson for a 21-0 lead with 10:46 left in the half.
Stafford was in top form all night against the Bucs. @Kiyoshi MioMayfield gave the Bucs a jolt of optimism on the ensuing drive, moving the offense 65 yards in 10 plays and hitting rookie Tez Johnson on a 14-yard touchdown pass to narrow the deficit to 21-7. But Stafford answered quickly by connecting with Adams deep down the right sideline for a 24-yard touchdown with 3:10 remaining for a 28-7 lead. When the Bucs couldn’t convert on fourth down from their 28, the Rams took over and cashed in quickly with a 40-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis, his first in the NFL.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThen came the play that has left Tampa Bay’s season up in air. Five seconds remained in the half. Rather than punt on fourth and 24 from their 37, the Bucs opted to roll the dice with the Hail Mary – a decision that may haunt them.
But for veteran linebacker Lavonte David, what matters most now is for everyone on defense to step up and be accountable.
“Today wasn’t our best day at all playing our brand, our style of football,” he said. “Defensively, for sure. So (we’ve) just got to get better, man. Everybody just needs to take a hard look in the mirror … figure out what kind of player you want to be. Not a team. What kind of player you want to be and just get better.
“But we’re going to take this one and learn from (it). It definitely stings a lot, but we are going to get better.”
On this night in LA, though, it was hard for things to go much worse.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
