Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- — Although Matthew Stafford threw touchdown passes on the Los Angeles Rams' first three drives against Tampa Bay, he was even more excited by teammate Cobie Durant's electrifying interception return for a TD, raising his hand atop his head as a makeshift fin to salute the cornerback who calls himself the Land Shark. By the time Stafford's third TD pass hit Davante Adams' hands, he was hearing loud “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants from the biggest crowd in SoFi Stadium history. The Rams were on top of the world Sunday night, and their 34-7 victory put them on top of the NFC. Adams caught two TD passes during the Rams' 31-point first half, and Los Angeles coasted into sole possession of the conference lead with a blowout victory while the Buccaneers lost Baker Mayfield to a shoulder injury. Durant returned his interception 50 yards to kick-start a dominant performance in the sixth consecutive victory for the Rams (9-2), who haven’t lost since Oct. 2 and haven’t trailed since the second quarter of a win over Baltimore in Week 6. Colby Parkinson also caught a TD pass from Stafford, who went 25 of 35 for 273 yards in his eighth consecutive interception-free game. “It was a great atmosphere out there today,” Stafford said. “Our fans did a great job showing up. Obviously both sides of the ball gave them something to cheer about early and often, which was really cool.” Jared Verse and Kobie Turner had two sacks apiece for a defense that allowed just 193 yards while the Rams jumped over defending champion Philadelphia (8-3) for the first overall seed with six games to play. “The only (way) that would matter is if the season ended right now,” coach Sean McVay said. “Do you remember who was in first place with six weeks left last year? Me neither. ... But this team has fun, and good football is fun, and when you're doing it with good people that you don't want to let down, that's really fun.” Mayfield had 60 total yards and threw two interceptions before sitting out the second half with a sprained left shoulder for the Buccaneers (6-5), who have allowed 106 points while losing three straight. Mayfield will have an MRI on Monday. Tampa Bay’s fourth loss in five games overall allowed Carolina (6-5) to pull even atop the NFC South before the Panthers face San Francisco on Monday night. “They just executed," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. "And they executed, I mean, from the play-calling to the quarterback to the receivers to the offensive line to the defensive front and the secondary, they out-executed us and they outplayed us.” Tez Johnson caught a TD pass from Mayfield, who winced in pain after the throw. Mayfield played on until apparently aggravating that injury while throwing a Hail Mary intercepted by Emmanuel Forbes at halftime, and Teddy Bridgewater took over for the second half. Tampa Bay managed just 70 net yards passing. “You never want to see guys injured, especially your leader,” Bridgewater said. “But Baker’s a tough guy, man. He tried to come back out there and tough it out for the guys. That says a lot about him.” Stafford polished his MVP credentials with another stellar performance in McVay's offense while extending his streak to 308 straight pass attempts without an interception — only the NFL's eighth such streak with at least 300 attempts in the 21st century. Puka Nacua had seven catches for 97 yards, while Adams boosted his NFL lead to 12 touchdown receptions, including nine in the Rams' last five games. New kicker Harrison Mevis also made his first two NFL field goal attempts. The Rams' defense also shined, allowing just 123 yards in the first three quarters on the night when the team honored Aaron Donald, who retired in March 2024 after 10 superb seasons on the team's defensive line. Los Angeles has noticed that the Rams are on a roll, packing the biggest crowds in arena history into SoFi in each of the past two weeks. “I don’t feel like we have a ceiling,” Verse said. “We’re just going to keep pushing and being a better version of ourselves.” Adams capped the Rams' 80-yard opening drive with a 1-yard catch, his eighth straight scoring grab that covered fewer than 5 yards over the last five games. Less than three minutes later, Durant ripped the ball away from a juggling Cade Otton and returned it for his second career TD, with Kam Kinchens blocking Mayfield near the goal line to finish it. Stafford completed his first 12 passes into the second quarter before hitting Parkinson for a 5-yard TD. Down 21-0, Mayfield and the Bucs finally answered with a drive ending in Johnson's 14-yard TD catch. Los Angeles needed just four plays to score again, with Adams getting loose for a 24-yard TD. “He's playing like the most valuable player in the league,” Adams said of Stafford. Injuries Buccaneers: WR Chris Godwin (fibula) played and had two catches. Rams: CB Roger McCreary injured his hip while getting his first defensive snaps for LA in the first quarter. Up next Buccaneers: Host Arizona on Nov. 30. Rams: At Carolina on Nov. 30. ------ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL