INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — 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.”