iStock_000013177589_Full.jpg

FOOTBALL

Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matched Up During The Regular Season In Los Angeles! Today They Are Matching Up Again! This Time, In NFC Divisional Round In Tampa

Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers matched up during the regular season in Los Angeles!

The result?

A A 34-24 win for Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams!

The Los Angeles Rams 34-24 win over Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers  A strong offensive performance led by quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and DeSean Jackson powered the Los Angeles Rams (3-0) to a 34-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.

Matthew Stafford finished 27 of 38 for 343 yards and four touchdowns, Kupp nine catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns and Jackson three receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown to help the Rams remain undefeated. Tight end Tyler Higbee (five receptions for 40 yards) accounted for Stafford's other passing touchdown.With Darrell Henderson Jr. (ribs) inactive, Sony Michel carried the load at running back with 20 carries for 67 yards, both team-highs.

Linebacker Kenny Young and defensive lineman Aaron Donald both authored strong performances for Los Angeles' defense. Young posted a team-high 10 total tackles, plus one sack, one QB hit and one forced fumble, while Donald had three total tackles, one sack-fumble and one pass breakup. The sack moved Donald into a tie with defensive end Leonard Little for most career sacks in Rams franchise history (87.5).

“according to an article by Stu Jackson on the rams.com”

A 24-34 loss for Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!

In Tom Brady , Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-24 loss to Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams the Los Angeles Rams won the toss to begin the game and elected to defer, meaning the ball again started in the hands of the Buccaneers' offense. Quarterback Tom Brady and company wouldn't get far as the two teams actually ended up trading three-and-out starting series.

The Bucs would fall just short of their first, first down of the game on their next drive and end up punting from their own 20-yard line.

Los Angeles finally got a first down on their next series but it wouldn't last long thanks to a lot of pressure by the Tampa Bay defense. On third down, quarterback Matthew Stafford attempted to air it out for Robert Woods but thanks to an excellent pass breakup by Ross Cockrell, it went incomplete and the Rams punted again.

The Bucs would get as far as the Rams' 48-yard line before stalling and having to punt yet again. Punter Bradley Pinion took advantage of the good field position to pin the Rams at their own four.

Stafford would get the Rams out of trouble and all the way down the field on the next drive. It would prove fruitful as Stafford hit tight end Tyler Higbee on a six-yard screen that Higbee took into the end zone. It gave the Rams the first lead of the game, 7-0, with 12:22 left in the second quarter.

This time, the Bucs would come up with an answer of their own. It took 15 plays and 76 yards but it ended with a two-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Chris Godwin on the play fake. It tied the game up at seven-all with just over four minutes left in the half.

The bad news was that the Rams were able to answer yet again. This time, it was a two-yard pass to Cooper Kupp in the end zone from Stafford that gave the Rams a 14-7 advantage with 51 seconds left.

A weird sack-fumble forced by Aaron Donald on Tom Brady would derail the Bucs' chances of getting in the end zone on their final drive before halftime. The ball landed in the hands of running back Giovani Bernard but because it was ruled a forward fumble, the Bucs couldn't actually advance the ball. They'd set up kicker Ryan Succop for a 55-yard field goal but he'd miss as the half expired and the Bucs went into the locker room trailing for the first time this season.

The Rams started with the ball in the second half and almost immediately were in the end zone thanks to Stafford airing it out for former Buccaneer wide receiver DeSean Jackson. The 75-yard touchdown pass made it 21-7 less than a minute into the half.

Brady and the Bucs' offense weren't about to let the Rams pull away that easy. On the next drive, they were able to punch it in from the one-yard line thanks to quarterback sneak by Brady. It cut the Rams lead to 21-14 but also cost them tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was injured on the drive after taking a hard hit.

Unfortunately, the Rams would answer yet again. This time, Stafford drove down the field on a seven-play, 75-yard drive that put the Rams up 28-14 halfway through the third quarter.

Next time the Bucs' offense took the field, they wouldn't get anywhere thanks to a penalty and a sack of Brady that gave them another third and long they couldn't overcome. The ensuing punt was only 15 yards and it put the Bucs' defense in a precarious position.

This time, the defense would hold, forcing the Rams to settle for a field goal. It was former Buccaneer kicker Matt Gay that was good from 48 yards and pushed the Rams' lead to 31-14 with just over three minutes left in the third.

Brady and the Bucs' offense came out swinging on the next drive. They'd make it all the way to goal-to-go but three straight incompletions would force them to settle for a field goal. Succop nailed the 26-yarder and made the score 31-17 with 1:14 to go in the third.

Los Angeles would drive all the way down the field before they were stopped at the two-yard line by the Bucs' defense. They settled for a field goal again, making the score 34-17 with just over eight minutes to play in the game.

The Bucs would get it to about midfield before being faced with fourth down and two. Brady would try to get it to Evans again but it would instead fall incomplete and the Rams would take over on downs with 7:10 left to go in the game.

Los Angeles wouldn't get anything out of their next drive behind the Bucs' first sack of the game. Defensive tackle William Gholston dropped Stafford for a loss of 12 and the Rams would punt yet again.

They pinned the Bucs at their own 12 and the Bucs took over with about four minutes left in the game. They'd make their way down the field, even converting a fourth and two this time. Brady was sacked on the next play, backing the Bucs up to second and 16. They'd get the first down and then some, set up with first and goal at the seven. Brady would throw it to Bernard underneath who got into the end zone for the score, though he was shaken up on the play. It gave the Bucs seven more points, making the score 34-24 with 1:10 left in the game.

Tampa Bay would try for the onsides kick but the Los Angeles Rams would recover and take a couple of knees to end the game with a final score of 34-24, handing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their first loss of the season.

“according to an article Carmen Vitali on buccaneeers.com”

Today Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady , Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers are matching up again!

This time, in NFC Divisional Round in Tampa Florida!

Why?

Because Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-11 in Wild Card Game Monday night Matthew Stafford completed 13 of 17 pass attempts for 202 yards and two touchdowns – connecting with Odell Beckham Jr. (four receptions, 54 yards) and Cooper Kupp (five receptions, 61 yards) on those scores – and also rushed six times for 22 yards and a touchdown.

“according to an article on the rams.com”

Because Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 34-15 in Tampa Florida in the Wild Card Game last Sunday.

In the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles Tom Brady threw touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski and Mike Evans within a two-minute span in the third quarter and the Buccaneers' swarming defense didn't allow a point until there were 12 minutes left in regulation. The Buccaneers also won the turnover battle, 3-0, thanks to interceptions by Mike Edwards and Shaquil Barrett and a fumble recovery by Ross Cockrell on a muffed punt.Barrett and ILB Lavonte David returned after multi-game injury absences to help the Bucs' defense hold strong against the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack. The Eagles, who averaged just under 160 rushing yards per game in the regular season, were held to 95 yards on 17 carries, with 34 of those coming on a Boston Scott touchdown run in the fourth quarter after the game was all but decided. Jalen Hurts had trouble moving the Eagles through the air when the run was taken away, finishing with 258 yards and one touchdown on 23-of-43 passing, with most of the yardage on two long drives in the fourth quarter.The return of David and Barrett certainly helped, as did much-improved tackling after several poor games in that regard. But the Buccaneers needed their defensive backs to step up in order to shut down a dual threat like Hurts, and they did so in a big way. With CB Sean Murphy-Bunting unavailable due to a hamstring injury, the Buccaneers gave a lot of playing time to all three of their top safeties – Edwards, Antoine Winfield, Jr. and Jordan Whitehead – and all three had outstanding games. In addition to his interception, Edwards also led the team with nine tackles. Winfield played a hybrid role of safety in base downs and slot corner in the nickel and contributed five tackles, a sack and two QB hits. Whitehead set the tone very early with two big tackles for loss on the Eagles first two drives.The strong work of the Bucs' defense against Hurts and company early in the game allowed the home team to get off to the fast start that had eluded them in recent games. The Eagles had a total of 17 yards of offense after three drives while the Bucs' offense took two of its first three possessions 70-plus yards for touchdowns. The first ended in a two-yard touchdown run by Giovani Bernard, the second in a one-yard scoring plunge by Ke'Shawn Vaughn. The only negative note for the Buccaneers in the first quarter was the losses of Pro Bowl offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs and Ryan Jensen to ankle injuries. Jensen returned to the game without missing an offensive snap but Wirfs only made a brief third-quarter cameo before being shut down for good.The Bucs got the ball to start the game and immediately took it 75 yards on 12 plays for the opening score, a two-yard touchdown run by Bernard. Vaughn got the drive off to a great start with a tackle-breaking 17-yard run over left guard on the game's first play, a roughing-the-passer flag on Eagles DE Derek Barnett took the ball across midfield. After Wirfs was helped off the field with his ankle injury, Brady hit Evans on a crossing route to convert a third-and-seven, and two consecutive catches by Bernard, the second one a fantastic leaping grab, made it first and goal a the 15. A Cam Brate tight end screen bought a new set of downs at the four and Bernard ran it in two plays later.

Tampa Bay's defense also started fast with a three-and-out on the Eagles' opening possession. Even though Miles Sanders but seven yards on a first-down cut-back run, a great tackle on the edge of Scott by Devin White and Whitehead's three-yard tackle for loss on a designed Hurts run shut the drive down. Eagles punter Arryn Siposs then shanked the ensuing punt and it went out of bounds at the Bucs' 43.

The Bucs couldn't do much with that field position, though, as WR Tyler Johnson failed to haul in a short pass on third-and-three. Bradley Pinion's punt was fair caught at the Eagles' 19. Fortunately, Philly didn't do much more with their second drive. Hurts kept the ball on a first-down RPO and got nine, followed by an offsides call that gave the Eagles their first first down of the game. But Whitehead shot through the line for another tackle for loss, this one on Sanders for five yards, and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka tipped away a pass by a scrambling Hurts on third down.

After Philadelphia's second punt, the Bucs started again at their own 30. This, drive, too resulted in a touchdown but also the loss of a Pro Bowl offensive lineman, as Jensen sustained an ankle injury on the one-yard Vaughn scoring run that capped the drive. Gronkowski got the drive moving with a 13-yard gain on a pivot route and Johnson made a fine catch of a hard pass in traffic on a slant to get 17 yards to the Eagles' 30. Evans caught two straight passes for 24 yards to get the ball down to the six and Vaughn made it first and goal with a power push up the middle.

The Bucs started the second quarter with another scoring drive, though this one stalled in the red zone, leading to Ryan Succop's 34-yard field goal. The drive opened with an 18-yard comebacker and a nine-yard curl by Evans as the Bucs went into a hurry-up. A Miller eight-yard catch on the left sideline and Vaughn's six-yard dart to the right side made it first down a the Eagles' 23, and two plays later Johnson made a catch over the middle in traffic to make it first-and-goal at the five. However, an underneath handoff to Bernard backfired for a loss of five and Brady was eventually sacked on third-and-goal as he held the ball trying to find an open man.

The Eagles' offense got into Bucs territory for the first time on the next possession but eventually turned the ball over on downs. Hurts took a keeper around the right edge for 11 and then converted a third-and-seven with a hard pass over the middle to Goedert for 16. After missing on a deep shot to Goedert, the Eagles went for it on fourth-and-four from just across midfield and converted when Hurts went back to his tight end for 10 on the left sideline. However, three plays later Winfield shut down what appeared to be a well-developed third-down screen to Sanders and the Eagles went for it again on fourth-and-10. Davis dived in front of intended receiver Jalen Reagor on a deep out and broke up the pass to end the drive.

Davis also removed his helmet in celebration after the play, drawing a 15-yard penalty that pushed the start of the Bucs' next drive back to their own 22. The Bucs actually went backwards from there thanks to a nine-yard sack on third down by Fletcher Cox and the Eagles called a timeout with 2:31 left in the half. Pinion's punt pushed the Eagles back to their own 39.

Goedert got 32 yards on a wide open screen to the left but the entire gain was wiped out by a holding call. That play brought on the two-minute warning, and the Eagles backed up on the next play due to an offensive pass-interference call. After another Hurts keeper made it third-and-11 the drive remained alive when Hurts was able to find Quez Watkins deep for 35 yards to the Bucs' 27. Two plays later, Hurts was chased out to the left and tried to go to DeVonta Smith in the end zone but Edwards raced in front of the receiver to intercept the pass and then fall onto the pylon for a touchback.

The Bucs went nowhere with that possession as Brady was sacked on third down again and Pinion punted away with 27 seconds left in the half. The Eagles used a timeout to get one more shot at the ball but Pinion wrecked that strategy with a 61-yard punt, after which the visitors tried just one play before letting the clock run out.

The Eagles got the ball to start the second half after a touchback. A holding penalty put the Eagles in an early hole but a long scramble by Hurts on third-and-eight gave Goedert time to work his way open deep over the middle for a 28-yard gain. Davis nearly intercepted Hurts' next pass deep down the right hash marks and Adams broke up a pass to Smith on third-and-10. The Eagles punted and Jaelon Darden fair caught it at the Bucs' nine.

The Bucs went three-and-out and punted it back but still managed to keep the ball. Reagor had trouble catching Pinion's 39-yard boot and Miller arrived at the perfect moment to make sure the ball got loose. It was recovered by Cockrell at the Eagles' 48 for the game's second turnover. The Bucs immediately got into scoring range with a perfectly-designed screen to Bernard that sprang him for a 22-yard gain. Brady converted a third-and-two at the 19 with a 17-yard pass to a sliding Evans at the two-yard line. The Bucs brought out a major jumbo package for first and goal but this time Brady faked a handoff, Gronkowski leaked off the line and into the back of the end zone and the two hooked up on a touchdown pass to make it 24-0 midway through the third quarter.

The Eagles' ensuing possession started out with a 14-yard Sanders run but the offense then found itself in a fourth-and-three predicament. Philadelphia went for it and Hurts was chased into a desperate lob of a throw that Barrett intercepted after leaping high in the air to tip it to himself. Barrett returned the ball 17 yards to the Eagles' 36 and Brady immediately went for the jugular, finding Evans running deep from right to left. Evans hauled the pass in near the five and stepped out of an attempted tackle before somersaulting into the end zone.

The Bucs' defense followed with a three-and-out keyed by Tryon-Shoyinka's capture of Hurts four yards in the backfield on a designed run. After the Eagles' punt, the Bucs started a new drive at their 19 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Content to run the ball and drain the clock with a 31-0 lead, the Buccaneers got one first down and used up three minutes before punting it back to the Eagles' 20-yard line.

The two teams traded another pair of punts as the game flipped into the fourth quarter. A 28-yard punt return by Reagor allowed the Eagles to start a new drive at their own 36 with 12:48 left. A tunnel screen to Smith worked to perfection as he dashed all the way down to the Bucs' 34, and Scott broke free over left tackle on the next play for the Eagles' first touchdown.

A holding penalty on the Bucs' kickoff return made Tampa Bay start at their own 10 and they got one first down before punting it away with just over nine minutes left. Reagor muffed the punt for a second time but was able to get it back before being swarmed over at the Eagles' seven-yard line. Catches for 19 yards by Smith and 17 by Goedert got the ball over midfield. Hurts converted a third-and-six from the Bucs' 42 with a short pass to Kenneth Gainwell that turned into a 20-yard gain. Three plays later, Hurts went to Gainwell again on third down and the back vaulted his way over several Buccaneer defenders to find the end zone. The Eagles went for two and Smith made a diving catch for the successful conversion. That made the score 31-15 with 4:45 to play.

The Eagles tried an onside kick but Bernard easily recovered for the Bucs at the Philadelphia 46. The Bucs grinded out two first downs before turning the ball over on downs at the 16 with 1:11 left. The Eagles got off just three plays before the clock ran out.

“according to an article on buccaneers.com by Scott Smith!

Kickoff is set for 12:00pm if you’re in Los Angeles, 3:00pm if you’re in Tampa!

The game is going to be televised on NBC!