The Los Angeles Rams’ offseason trade for Matthew Stafford seems to be paying off. Stafford came in strong on Sunday night and led the Rams to a 30-27 win over reigning Super Bowl champs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with two passing touchdowns and one rushing TD. His 366 passing yards were the third-most in a single playoff game in the franchise’s history.
While the night finished victorious for the Rams and Stafford, it almost went the other way. Holding a 27-3 lead midway through the third quarter, the LA team became reckless and allowed Tom Brady to start one of his signature comebacks.
After a sluggish first part of the contest, Brady started connecting with his receivers, and the Bucs went on to score 24 unanswered points to tie the game, including three touchdowns and a field goal. Tampa Bay’s defense also played a crucial role, forcing three fumbles, including one in the red zone.
Following this scoring rampage by the Bucs, the Rams found themselves with the ball and 42 seconds to work with at their own 25 yards. However, this proved to be more than enough for Stafford, who arrived in LA from Detroit Lions in exchange for a package that included former first overall pick Jared Goff and two future first-rounders.
On the second play of the drive, Stafford found wideout Cooper Kupp for a 20-yard gain. The two connected once again on the next play, this time for a 44-yard gain. This set up a 30-yard field goal attempt that kicker Matt Gay converted as the time was running out to give his team a major win.
“It felt like that ball hung up for about 12 seconds,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay after the game. “But those guys did a great job. I thought Matthew Stafford was unbelievable throughout the whole day. Just his poise, his command, his demeanor, his decision-making.”
The Rams will now play the San Francisco 49ers, who upset the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, in the NFC Championship game next Sunday. The AFC Championship game will see the Super Bowl favorites Kansas City Chiefs playing the Cincinnati Bengals.
