rams vs. Buccaneers, duel of contenders with urgency to win

Last season, they fought for NFC supremacy with epic battles and just a few months later, the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet again, but now with the urgency of adding a victory that will keep them in position to fight for a ticket to the playoffs.

As well as the context in which these teams will meet at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, the performance of their quarterbacks is also far from top-notch.

The performance of matthew stafford contrasts with the one he had in his first year with the Rams and with which he won his first Super Bowl ring and is reflected in being one of the four qualified quarterbacks to have more interceptions than touchdown passes (7/8) in the current campaign. The others are the rookie Kenny Pickett and sophomore quarterbacks, mac jones Y Zach Wilson.

In 2021, Stafford added 41 touchdown passes and halfway through the current schedule, he does not even have 25 percent of that quota, in addition to the fact that, in the midst of his spectacular campaign, he finished as the quarterback with the most interceptions in the NFL (17 ), aspect of his game that remains at his level.

While Stafford’s performance is reminiscent of his years as a quarterback for the Detroit Lions, what he experiences Tom Brady on the Buccaneers it’s literally uncharted territory for the 45-year-old quarterback.

Brady, who has lost all three games he has faced the Rams in the Tampa Bay jersey, leads a Bucs offense that is averaging just 18.8 points per game, the lowest in the legendary No. 12.

Additionally, Brady has suffered three straight losses and is one away from matching the longest streak of his career (four in 2002) and is looking to avoid falling two games under .500 for the first time in his 23 years in the NFL.

What Brady has ever experienced and seeks to avoid with a win over the Rams is losing four consecutive times to the same team, something he suffered as a quarterback for the New England Patriots from 2005 to 2009 at the hands of the Denver Broncos.

In that sense, Stafford has the card of recent history in his favor, as he seeks to become the fifth quarterback to beat Brady in three consecutive duels, a feat only boasted by Eli and Peyton Manning, Jake Plummer and Drew Brees.

In turn, and in a somewhat ironic situation, Brady could get his offense into rhythm against the defense that has given him the most headaches in recent years, since the Rams have received 51 more points than they have scored. in the fourth quarters of their games in 2022, the highest difference in the NFL.

Both the Rams and Buccaneers have reason to believe they can right the ship with a win over one of their biggest NFC rivals, but the urgency is more one way than the other.

The Rams need to add wins not to fall behind in an NFC West led by the surprising Seattle Seahawks and after being swept by the San Francisco 49ers, while the Buccaneers have the advantage of playing in a weak NFC South that will likely lead to the Playoffs to a division champion with a losing record, so his room for maneuver is a little wider.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.

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rams vs. Buccaneers, duel of contenders with urgency to win