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Matthew Stafford finds Davante Adams for two touchdowns in Rams’ win over Bucs

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Los Angeles Rams and MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford continue to win, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-7 on “Sunday Night Football.”

The Rams have won six straight games and continue to lead the NFC West with a 9-2 record. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers fell to 6-5, tying them with the Carolina Panthers for the NFC South lead.

This game was about as lopsided as it gets for the first matchup between playoff hopefuls, and a big part of that had to do with how confident and poised Stafford was in his 17th NFL season.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Sofi Stadium on Sunday, November 23, 2025 in Inglewood, CA. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Stafford added three more touchdown passes to his league-leading total, giving him 30 touchdown passes on the year with only two interceptions. Davante Adams, who was having a resurgence of his own, remained his first target in the red zone.

Adams scored twice for the Rams; That included the opening score, which capped off a 10-play, 80-yard drive that Stafford threw beautifully.

BAKER MAYFIELD ALWAYS CONSIDERED MATTHEW STAFFORD AS A “TOP 3 OR 5” QB

Then, after Baker Mayfield hit a pick-six on the next drive for the Buccaneers, Stafford started the second quarter with a five-yard strike to Colby Parkinson to open the game at 21-0.

Needing a touchdown, Mayfield found Tez Johnson for a 14-yard score on the next carry to cut into the Rams’ lead. But Stafford needed just four plays to advance 65 yards and connect with Adams again, this time on a perfect 24-yard touchdown pass.

Adams finished the game with 62 yards on five catches, while Puka Nacua led Los Angeles with 97 yards on seven receptions.

During the Buccaneers’ touchdown drive, Mayfield scrambled for seven yards on third-and-6 and lowered his shoulder into two Rams defenders to move the chains. This proved to be costly for the aggressive signal-caller, as he suffered a left shoulder injury that eventually ruled him out of the game.

Davante Adams of the Los Angeles Rams scores against Zyon McCollum #27 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter of the game at SoFi Stadium on November 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

The injury appeared to bother Mayfield when he tried to lift a Hail Mary at the end of the first half. He finally got down on one knee, his left arm motionless, before heading to the locker room.

When Tampa Bay came out for the second half, backup Teddy Bridgewater replaced the injured Mayfield, who was left out and stood on the sideline in street clothes. It’s unclear exactly what Mayfield is dealing with, but given his history of playing through injuries, this is clearly something he won’t be able to overcome and could be cause for concern going forward.

Bridgewater was unable to mount a comeback as the Buccaneers struggled against the dominant Rams defense. Bridgewater went 8-for-15 for 62 yards and had two sacks, while Mayfield was 9-for-19 for 41 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions, including one on a Hail Mary attempt.