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Sarah Barshop
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — With their 34-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, the 9-2 Los Angeles Rams have the best record in the NFC.
It is the first time the Rams have held an outright lead in the NFC since Week 13 of the 2018 season, according to ESPN Research.
Coach Sean McVay said though it’s “a good thing” to have the No. 1 seed with six games to go, the only thing the Rams can control “is to have a great week of preparation.”
“I love the way we’ve responded from some setbacks,” McVay said. “I love the way that we’ve handled a little bit of success. And through 11 weeks, I’m proud of them. Now, let’s see what we can do through 12.
“And I’m very confident that we’re going to give ourselves the best chance to do that because I’m betting on the people in that locker room.”
Three of the Rams’ final six regular-season games are against teams currently above .500 (Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks). ESPN Analytics projects the Rams to be the favorites in each of their final six games.
The Rams are also the Super Bowl favorites. According to ESPN Research, this is the first time the Rams are Super Bowl favorites at any point of a season since December 2018, when they were favorites entering Week 14.
“I think our mentality is still just go out each and every week and find a way to win,” Rams defensive end Kobie Turner said. “And I think that’s what makes us great, honestly, to be able to have the humility of the past two years and having to know when November comes, it separates the contenders from the pretenders and it’s about figuring out a way to go out and pick up another W.
“And so we’re not out here looking at our record and getting caught up in that. We’re just focused on how are we going to go and pick up the next W?”
During the Rams’ six-game winning streak, Los Angeles has been led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is the favorite to win NFL MVP (-185) ahead of New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (+210).
“He’s playing like the most valuable player in the league,” Rams wide receiver Davante Adams said. “You can see it in the numbers, the way he’s taking command of the huddle and the offense, the way him and Sean [McVay] put things together and work throughout the week together to put together a good product for us. Just all around. I mean, he’s a great leader and obviously knows how to put points on the board and keep this offense moving.”
On Sunday against the Buccaneers, fans at SoFi Stadium chanted MVP after Stafford’s second and third touchdown passes. Stafford completed 25 of 35 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns in a game that was largely decided by halftime.
“When you got a quarterback like that, like a first-ballot Hall of Famer, where you just know he’s going to go out there, he’s going to put up points, it makes it easy on us,” outside linebacker Jared Verse said. “But we know every time we come down to the sideline, we can take a little breather, we can take a little breath. And we just got to go out there and hold them down.”
If Stafford is named the league’s most valuable player, he would be the oldest player in NFL history to win his first MVP, according to ESPN Research. He would also be the third-oldest player to win it.
Stafford has thrown 27 consecutive touchdown passes without an interception, according to Elias. It is the longest streak by any player since play-by-play was first tracked in 1978.
“It’s hard to put it in words,” Adams said of Stafford’s streak. “… Most quarterbacks can’t throw 27 passes without throwing a pick.”
