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INGLEWOOD — It started arsenic a high-pressure game, with nary little connected the enactment than whether the Rams were contenders oregon pretenders, but by the 3rd 4th they were conscionable having fun.
DeSean Jackson was prancing to a agelong touchdown, and Matthew Stafford was sprinting to articulation the celebration. Kenny Young was sacking Tom Brady, Aaron Donald was throwing a ballcarrier for a drive-ending loss, and the defence was partying. The Rams weren’t conscionable acquitting themselves against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they were thumping the Super Bowl champions, and the fans had SoFi Stadium rocking.
It turned into a 34-24 Rams triumph implicit the Bucs successful beforehand of an announced assemblage of 73,205, the largest successful the abbreviated past of crowds astatine SoFi Stadium.
Rams Matthew Stafford, #9, passes during archetypal 4th acton astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Buccaneers Giovani Bernard, #25, came up with this attempted walk by Buccaneers QB, Tom Brady, #12, during 2nd 4th acton astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams manager Sean McVay reacts to his defence blocking a tract extremity effort by Buccaneers Bradley Pinion, #3, during the last seconds of the 2nd 4th astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Matthew Stafford, #9, hands disconnected to Sony Michel, #25, during archetypal 4th acton astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Tyler Higbee, #89, fumble the shot connected a tackle by Buccaneers Jordan Whitehead, 33, during archetypal 4th enactment astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. Rams recovered the shot connected the play. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams artifact a tract extremity effort by Buccaneers Bradley Pinion, #3, during the last seconds of the 2nd 4th astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Buccaneers Antoine Winfield Jr., #31, takes connected Rams Tyler Higbee, #89, archetypal 4th acton astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Jordan Fuller, #4, broke up this walk effort to Buccaneers Rob Gronkowski, #87, during archetypal 4th enactment astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Kenny Young, #41, pulls down Buccaneers Scott Miller, #10, during 2nd 4th acton astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Buccaneers Tom Brady, #12, during archetypal fractional enactment against the Rams astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Tyler Higbee, #89, lands implicit Buccaneers Carlton Davis, #24, during archetypal fractional enactment astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Cooper Kupp, #10, drives for yardage against Buccaneers Dee Delaney, 30, that acceptable up a TD for the Rams during archetypal fractional acton astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Tyler Higbee, #89, lands implicit Buccaneers Carlton Davis, #24, during archetypal fractional enactment astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Buccaneers fans astatine SoFi Stadium to instrumentality connected the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Greg Gaines, #91, and Aaron Donald, #99, sack Buccaneers QB, Tom Brady, #12, during 2nd 4th acton astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Buccaneers Tom Brady, #12, takes the tract astatine SoFi Stadium to instrumentality connected the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
A vintage Rams instrumentality astatine SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rams Matthew Stafford, #9, instrumentality the tract astatine SoFi stadium to instrumentality connected Tom Brady and the Buccaneers Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Buccaneers fans astatine SoFi Stadium to instrumentality connected the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
That made the Rams 3-0 for the 3rd clip successful manager Sean McVay’s 5 years, the archetypal of those accelerated starts having travel successful the 2018 tally to the Super Bowl.
More tests await, arsenic soon arsenic adjacent Sunday erstwhile the Rams big the 3-0 Arizona Cardinals successful their archetypal NFC West crippled of the season.
But they couldn’t ace an early-season trial overmuch much than they did against Brady and the Bucs.
Stafford finished with 343 yards and 4 touchdowns passing, completing 27 of 38. Jackson caught 3 passes for 120 yards and his archetypal Rams touchdown. Cooper Kupp caught 9 for 96 yards and his 4th and 5th touchdowns of the season.
The defense, meanwhile, didn’t unopen down Brady but contained him, sacking him 3 times. Brady passed for 432 yards, but the Bucs converted lone six of 12 3rd downs. An incomplete walk connected fourth-and-2 astatine the Bucs’ 48 with 7:10 to play seemed to seal the extremity of Tampa Bay’s 10-game winning streak.
The Rams had gone up 21-7 3 plays aft halftime connected the long-awaited archetypal heavy transportation of the play betwixt Stafford and Jackson, a 63-yard shot successful the aerial that Jackson caught down the defence astatine the Bucs’ 30 and ran in.
A Brady sneak for a touchdown brought the Bucs back, but the Rams rapidly made it 28-14. Jackson took a abbreviated walk for a 40-yard summation to the 10. Kupp caught a walk astatine the 5 and dove past Carlton Davis to scope the close extremity portion flag.
The quarterbacks’ expected duel began quietly, and past started to crackle.
After a punt, Stafford got the shot astatine the Rams’ 5 precocious successful the archetypal quarter, and acceptable retired connected a 14-play thrust connected which helium completed each 8 of his passes for 74 yards portion moving backmost Sony Michel produced the remainder successful his archetypal Rams start.
Stafford’s 6-yard touchdown walk to choky extremity Tyler Higbee, who ran implicit Davis and tumbled successful the extremity zone, gave the Rams a 7-0 pb aboriginal successful the 2nd quarter.
Brady instantly matched Stafford. From the Bucs’ 24, helium took Tampa Bay connected a 15-play drive, completing 8 of 9 for 73 yards.
The Bucs tied the crippled 7-7 erstwhile wide receiver Chris Godwin took Brady’s handoff connected an end-around and got done cornerback Jalen Ramsey astatine the extremity enactment for a 2-yard touchdown.
Stafford came close backmost down the field, going 6 for 8 for 67 yards connected a 75-yard thrust capped by a 2-yard walk to Kupp successful the extremity portion with 51 seconds to play successful the half.
Half a crippled later, the Rams were successful implicit control. A Brady touchdown walk to moving backmost Giovani Bernard brought the Bucs wrong 34-24 with 1:10 connected the clock.
This communicative volition beryllium updated.
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