INGLEWOOD, Calif. – With their victory with a score of 34-7 over Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday evening, 9-2 Los Angeles Rams have the best record in NFC.
The Rams hold the NFC lead for the first time since Week 13 of the 2018 season, according to ESPN Research.
Coach Sean McVay said that while it's “good” to have a No. 1 seed with six games left, the only thing the Rams can do “is have a great week of preparation.”
“I like the way we responded to some setbacks,” McVay said. “I like how we were able to have a little success. And for 11 weeks I am proud of them. Now let's see what we can do in 12.”
“And I'm very confident that we'll give ourselves the best chance to do that because I'm banking on the people in this dressing room.”
Three of the Rams' final six games of the regular season will be against teams ranked above .500 (Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions And Seattle Seahawks). ESPN Analytics projects the Rams as favorites in each of their final six games.
The Rams are also Super Bowl favorites. The Rams have been Super Bowl favorites at any point in the season since December 2018, when they were the favorites in Week 14, according to ESPN Research.
“I think our mentality is still to go out every week and find a way to win,” the Rams quarterback said. Coby Turner said. “Honestly, I think that's what makes us great: We can keep the humility of the last two years and the need to know when November comes, it separates the pretenders from the pretenders, and it's about finding a way to go out and get another W.
“And so we don’t look at our record and get carried away with it. We’re just focused on how are we going to go and get the next W?”
The Rams' six-game winning streak was led by the quarterback in Los Angeles. Matthew Staffordwho is the NFL MVP favorite (-185), ahead of New England Patriots defender Drake Maye (+210).
“He's playing like the MVP in the league,” Rams wide receiver Davante Adams said. “You can see it in the numbers, the way he takes command of the group and the attack, the way he and Sean [McVay] Get everything together and work together all week to create a good product for us. It's just all around. “I mean, he’s a great leader and obviously knows how to score points and keep the offense going.”
On Sunday against the Buccaneers, fans at Sophie Stadium chanted “MVP” after Stafford's second and third passes. Stafford completed 25 of 35 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns in a game that was largely decided by halftime.
“When you have a quarterback like a first-ballot Hall of Famer and you just know he's going to go out there, he's going to score points, it makes it easier for us,” outside linebacker Jared Wehrs said. “But we know that every time we go to the sideline, we can take a little breather, we can catch our breath a little bit. And we just have to go out there and contain them.”
If Stafford is named league MVP, he will become the oldest player in NFL history to win his first MVP, according to ESPN Research. He will also become the third youngest player to win this tournament.
Stafford threw 27 straight passes without an interception, Elias said. This is the longest streak by any player since the game-by-game streak was first recorded in 1978.
“It's hard to put into words,” Adams said of Stafford's hitting streak. “…Most quarterbacks can't throw 27 passes without throwing a pick.”
