Rams 30, Buccaneers 27 — FINAL
Three divisional playoff games. Three game-winning walk-off field goals for the visiting team. The latest, a 30-yarder from Matt Gay, gave the Rams a stress-filled 30–27 win over the defending Super Bowl champions. With the top two seeds in the NFC both losing this weekend, the Rams will host the San Francisco 49ers in next week’s NFC Championship Game.
It certainly wasn’t easy—though it looked like it was for a good chunk of Sunday. The Rams built a 20–3 lead at halftime and extended it to 27–3 midway through the third quarter. Tom Brady could not figure out a stout Rams defense, with Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Leonard Floyd pounding an injury-depleted Bucs’ offensive line.
But of course Brady made it a game. After passing for 112 yards in the first half, he came alive in the fourth quarter and somehow finished with 326 passing yards. When Leonard Fournette scored his second touchdown of the game from nine yards out with 42 seconds left, the game looked destined for overtime.
That’s when the NFL’s best receiver took over. After a sack to start the drive, Kupp caught back-to-back passes for 64 yards—setting up the Rams at the Bucs’ 12-yard line. L.A. stopped the clock with 5 seconds left and Gay came on for the game-winner.
Kupp finished with nine receptions for 183 yards and a score. Stafford, who won his first career playoff game just a week ago, passed for 366 yards and two scores.
Super Bowl LVI is set for Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium. If the Rams win next week, they will be playing for the championship on their home turf.
Meanwhile, prepare yourself for an onslaught of speculation as to the future of the 44-year-old Brady. If this was his last game in the NFL, he certainly made it a great one. Just not used to seeing Brady come up short in a game like this.
6:33 p.m. ET – Kupp Runneth Over!
So much for momentum. The Rams blew a 27–3 lead and were about to stumble into overtime, where there was no doubt Tom Brady would complete the miracle and vanquish the Rams.
Only that’s not how it happened. Two words:
After Fournette tied the game with 42 seconds left, Stafford nearly fumbled on first down. But then Kupp caught two long passes to get to the Bucs’ 13-yard line. The rams clocked it with 5 seconds to play and Gay came in to kick the game-winner.
So while MVP favorites Brady and Rodgers were both eliminated from the playoffs this weekend, Kupp—who had one of the greatest seasons a wide receiver has ever had— helped the Rams reach the NFC title game. The Rams will host the 49ers next Sunday. And if they win that game, the Rams will play a home game in Super Bowl LVI.
6:20 p.m. ET – Brand New Ballgame
Just when you thought Brady was going to have to go 70 yards with less than two minutes to play, Suh’s fumble recovery gives the Bucs life at the Rams’ 30. Momentum has remarkably swung to Tampa Bay’s side, but there are still a few Hall of Famers on that opposing defense.
On third-and-1 from the 21, Fournette bulls for three yards and a first.
Brady has been playing it cool, not worried about taking end zone shots—probably wary of giving Stafford the ball back in a tie game with a minute to play. But after a completion to Cameron Brate at the 9-yard line, the Bucs face a fourth-and-inches with 45 seconds to play. The Rams may have done Tampa Bay a favor by calling timeout. And if the Bucs do score right away now, the Rams have just one timeout left for any last-second drive.
So on fourth down … Fournette goes in for the touchdown!
27—27, 42 seconds left.
Wow!
6:05 p.m. ET – Ain’t Over Til It’s Over…
On fourth down from the Rams’ 31, Brady had the best pass protection he’s had on any dropback all day—but he missed his target. The Rams take over and would like nothing more than to eat as much clock as possible. The Bucs are starting to burn their timeouts, but time is running out.
On third-and-7, Stafford avoided pressure and completed a short out pass to Sony Michel, but short of the marker. Hekker boots it away and Brady will go to work from his own 21 with 3:56 to play. This is it…
On first down, Brady again gets decent protection and Brady finds Miller for 21. Two plays later…
Brady to Evans for a 55-yard touchdown!
Stafford will get the ball back needing to kill 3 minutes, 20 seconds. And away we go…
5:54 p.m. ET – Rams Don’t Score, But Clock’s Ticking
The Rams offense is waking up at just the right time. Cam Akers, though he has been mostly held in check by the Bucs’ run defense, broke loose for a big first-down run that got L.A. to mid-field. Van Jefferson, who had a first down run to start the drive, caught a short pass—and not only did break some tackles to get a first down in field goal range, but he turned inside to stay in bounds and keep the clock running.
On third-and-11, the Rams kept it conservative and ran the ball. But Gay’s 47-yard FG attempt was no good. The Rams managed to move the ball and kill some clock, but it remains a two-score game with 6:31 left to play.
5:47 p.m. ET – Pressure Builds, and Weirdness Ensues
There’s been pressure on Stafford all season long—really, ever since the Rams traded two first-round picks for him in the offseason. The former No. 1 overall pick was expected to get the Rams this far, at least. He’s talked a good game all year in terms of not feeling the pressure. And maybe that’s true. But that last Tampa Bay touchdown and the re-energized crowd at Raymond James Stadium is adding an entirely new level of pressure. After a run for no gain, Stafford made back-to-back poor throws, overthrowing one receiver on second down and throwing behind his target on third.
Just as the vice was getting tighter for Stafford, a wild set of plays occurred…
Von Miller got the strip sack and recovery—only to have the Bucs get the ball back on the very next play.
Stafford wasn’t looking when the ball was snapped. Brady-to-Gronk takes Tampa Bay to the 32.
Backup safety Nick Scott, who intercepted Brady earlier in the game, made a big play to break up a pass. A Leonard Floyd sack left the Bucs with fourth-and-14 from the 32. The Rams broke up the pass to Evans and Eric Weddle was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit—but because the hit occurred after the ball fell to the turf, the Rams still took over on downs. Now Stafford gets another chance to right the ship.
5:25 p.m. ET – Bucs Still Alive
Okay, let the drama begin… After Sean Murphy-Bunting ran a Kupp fumble back to the Rams’ 30, Tampa Bay faced a fourth-and-9 from the 29.
Brady hit Miller for 16 yards and then Miller to set up first-and-goal at the 1.
On the last play of the third quarter, Fournette forces his way into the end zone—his seventh TD in his last seven postseason games.
Rams up 27–13 with 15 minutes to play. Hang onto your hats.
5:15 p.m. ET – Bucs Settle For FG
Just saw this story about Antonio Brown wishing Brady luck ahead of today’s game. That’s nice. Of course, maybe Brady would be doing a little better today if he had Brown in the lineup. There’s no way to know if Brown would have been healthy enough to play, but the Bucs sure do miss him.
Evans has his share of passes and Gronk just made a big reception to get into the red zone. But Scotty Miller just made his first catch of the game and Tyler Johnson has dropped a couple of passes. Without Brown, the Bucs offense is much less dangerous against a good defense.
Even after Gronk’s big gain, the Rams forced Tampa to settle for a field goal.
Rams 27, Bucs 6
5:05 p.m. ET – So Much For The Comeback?
So much for the Bucs’ miraculous comeback. Aided by a Rams’ delay-of-game penalty, the Bucs defense was able to get off the field to start the second half. But, a nice Johnny Hekker punt saw Brady start his first drive of the half at his own 5-yard line.
Three-and-out.
“They just cannot make the big plays on third down,” Cris Collinsworth said on the NBC broadcast.
To make matters worse, Brandon Powell returned the ensuing punt 33 yards to set up the Rams in great field position. Stafford completions to Blanton, Kupp and Beckham set up the Rams with goal-to-go, and Stafford punched it in on third down to put his team up, 27–3.
“This has been so impressive on so many different levels by the Rams,” said Collinsworth. “But in particular, by Mathew Stafford.”
4:39 p.m. ET – Rams 30 Minutes Away From NFC title game
There are two ways to look at this game as we head into halftime with the Rams holding a 20–3 lead.
1. The Bucs got a big break when they recovered that fumble that kept the Rams from going up 27–3, but nothing has gone right for Brady. He hasn’t looked good, and how crazy would this weekend be if the two MVP candidates, Brady and Aaron Rodgers, both go down in heaps?
2. On the other hand, who cares about a ho-hum Brady victory. At this stage in his otherworldly career, miraculous comebacks are really all we can expect.
Still, Brady had a lot of work to do—and more importantly, it won’t matter what he does if the Bucs’ defense doesn’t wake up. That fumble recovery aside, they haven’t had answers for the Rams’ offense. Stafford has 229 yards and two TDs at halftime. Cam Akers has been running well. L.A. gets the ball first to start the second half. And as we keep saying, the Bucs’ defense desperately needs a stop.
4:20 p.m. ET – Bucs Desperately Need Points Here
The Rams couldn’t convert a third-and-14 from the Bucs’ 32, but a Kupp reception gained enough yards to make it an easier field goal for Matt Gay. The Rams go up 20–3 with 2:19 left in the half. What Brady does here before halftime could be critical. Problem is, you’ve got Aaron Donald on the other side. Donald sacks Brady, taking us to the two minute warning.
4:08 p.m. ET – You Won’t Like Brady When He’s Mad
Okay, they got Brady mad. Not a good idea. After four completions to Mike Evans, the Buccaneers moved into Rams territory—only to be brought back 15 yards after an unsportsmanlike penalty against Brady. According to Al Michaels, it was the first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of Brady’s career. He had taken a shot from Von Miller and was mad that Miller wasn’t flagged for a blow to the head.
Brady immediately came back and hit Fournette that almost moved the chains on second-and-17. But the drive stalled and Succop missed a long field goal attempt.
Still, Brady is likely simmering on the sidelines right now. The Bucs had some success speeding up the tempo on that drive. Expect more of that when Brady is back on the field.
3:57 p.m. ET – Halfway to a nice parlay
Quick shoutout to SI Betting guru Frankie Taddeo. In our divisional props roundtable, Frankie took a parlay—Stafford and Buffalo’s Josh Allen to both go over 1.5 TD passes. He’s already halfway there with Stafford.
In addition to Higbee over 43.5 yards—which I feel pretty good about at this point—I also pointed to Rams receiver Van Jefferson getting an anytime TD. Still waiting on that, but I was heartened to see Jefferson targeted in the red zone on the Rams’ opening drive. Still might happen.
3:49 p.m. ET – How Did That Happen?
Holy cow! So it’s third-and-20 following a sack of Stafford and somehow the NFL’s leading receiver is virtually uncovered. Cooper Kupp catches a pass and takes it 70 yards for the score. To make matters worse, Bucs linebacker Lavonte David gets flagged for slamming his helmet to the turf.
Maybe this will be a runaway after all. Stafford already has 176 yards passing and two TDs.
3:42 p.m. ET – First Quarter Ends, Bucs Need a Big Stop
So the Rams are going to run away with this game, right? Well, let’s not forget that guy on the other side. After Fournette took a screen pass for a first down, Brady did his best Aaron Rodgers impersonation to avoid the Rams pass rush and hit Rob Gronkowski for a 29-yard gain. The drive stalled there, but it set up Ryan Succop for a 45-yard field goal to get the Bucs on the board.
Unfortunately for the Bucs, Succop followed the points with a bad kickoff that went out of bounds, setting up the Rams at their own 40. As the first quarter comes to a close, this is a drive where the Tampa Bay defense needs to show it can stop the Rams. Otherwise, field goals won’t do the trick.
3:34 p.m. ET – Kendall who?
After a three-and-out for Tampa Bay, the Rams picked up right where they left off. Starting at their own 29, they quickly got to midfield on completions to Beckham and Higbee. And just when the Bucs defense got pressure on Stafford and forced him to get rid of the ball, Ndamukong Suh got flagged for taunting. That set up the Rams at the Bucs’ 19. A 9-yard run from Cam Akers and a sneak from Stafford set up LA with another first-and-goal.
And then, touchdown to …
Kendall Blanton?
I can promise you nobody had the Rams’ third-string tight end scoring the first touchdown of this game. Except maybe his mom.
Rams 10, Bucs 0
3:18 p.m. ET — Rams Strike First
Unlike Brady, Rams QB Matthew Stafford came out throwing. He started with a 6-yard out to Odell Beckham Jr., followed by a dump-off to RB Cam Akers, who made a few defenders miss as he picked up a first down. Stafford went play-action on the next snap and hit Cooper Kupp for another first down. After a holding call, Beckham grabbed a short pass and eluded enough defenders to pick up another first down.
One short run later, Stafford found TE Tyler Higbee for a 29-yard gain that set up the Rams with first-and-goal at the 9. That’s where the impressive drive stalled, and LA settled for a short Matt Gay field goal. Rams go up, 3–0.
On a personal note, I’ve got a Higbee prop—48.5 yards. So I’m already closing in!
3:08 p.m. ET — First winner of the day: Fox Sports’ music guy
Tom Brady led the NFL in completions, passing yards and TD passes … so of course Tampa Bay’s offense started today’s game with three straight running plays. Fournette gained 11 yards on each of his first two runs, but then the Rams defense woke up. After a short run and two incomplete passes, the Bucs punted the ball away.
And kudos to Fox Sports, which always plays great music going to break. Their first choice: Meat Loaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light. RIP, Mr. Loaf.
2:25 p.m. ET — ‘Playoff Lenny’ ready to go, but…
The good news for Tampa Bay as we approach kickoff of today’s Rams-Bucs divisional playoff game is that bruising running back Leonard Fournette has been activated off the injured reserve and is ready to go.
That said, the Bucs did get some bad news when it was announced that offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs will be inactive.
After Tom Brady was sacked four times by the Eagles last week, Wirf’s absence could spell doom against Aaron Donald, Von Miller and the ferocious Rams defense. Then again, it’s Tom Brady.
With kickoff just a few minutes away, here are some bets you might consider at SISportsbook:
• Spead: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5
• Over/Under: 48
• Cooper Kupp Anytime TD: -138
• Cooper Kupp First TD: +600
• Leonard Fournette Anytime TD: +100
• Tyler Higbee over/under: 43.5 receiving yards (-115)
Who ya got?
1:45 p.m. ET — Divisional-Round Sunday Begins
The Rams would love to follow the Buccaneers and make it two years in a row that an NFL team gets to play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy on its home turf. But in order to reach Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the Rams must first knock off the defending champs on their home turf, against a Tampa Bay squad that owns a 4–0 postseason record with Tom Brady under center.
No pressure.
The Rams and Bucs kickoff Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium, with the winner advancing to next week’s NFC Championship Game. Brady will be going after his NFL-record 36th career postseason victory. Rams QB Matthew Stafford? A win here would double his total after winning his first career playoff game last week against the Cardinals.
These teams met back in Week 3, a 34–24 Rams victory that wasn’t even that close (Tampa Bay scored its last touchdown with just over a minute left). But that game was in L.A. The Bucs are 8–1 at home this season. The offense has been nearly unstoppable on its home turf—scoring at least 30 points in eight of those nine games. Even with the inexplicable Week 15 shutout loss to the Saints, Tampa Bay is averaging 33 points per game at home.
As for the Rams, so much has changed for them since that Week 3 meeting. Three key players weren’t even on the team at that time: The Rams signed receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and traded for linebacker Von Miller in early November; running back Cam Akers was recovering from a torn Achilles and was just activated this month.
Despite the home-field advantage, oddsmakers are expecting a close game, with the Bucs checking in as 2.5-point favorites. Can they take the next step toward being the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champs since the 2003–04 Patriots? Or will the Rams get closer to justifying their trade for Stafford?
Follow along here as we live blog during the game.
