As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enjoy one last extended break before training camp, we're taking a look at each team the Buccaneers are going to face during the 2025 season. From how those teams fared last year, to what they've done with the roster since, to some as-yet-unanswered questions – we want to get a better feel for what the Bucs will be up against this fall. Today's focus is on the Los Angeles Rams, who kept their window of contention open by signing Matthew Stafford to an extension and have some rising stars on defense.
2024 Results
Five weeks into the 2024 season, the Rams looked like they might be at the end of an era. They had made the playoffs in five of their first seven seasons under Head Coach Sean McVay and had won the Super Bowl following the 2021 season, propelled by the trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford. But L.A. lost four of its first five games and Stafford had just three touchdown passes to go with three interceptions in that span. An opening-week 26-20 loss at Detroit wasn't too alarming, but that was followed by a 41-10 thrashing in Arizona in Week Two. The Rams also lost to the Bears, 24-18, in Week Four.
However, Los Angeles got a break with an early bye in Week Six and came out of it a rejuvenated team that promptly ripped off a three-game winning streak. Most impressive in that stretch was a 30-20 home win over the 5-1 Vikings in which Stafford through four touchdown passes, two to Demarcus Robinson. Los Angeles also got an important road win over a division opponent in Week Nine, as Stafford hit Robinson on a 39-yard touchdown pass in overtime.
A mild lull followed, with a win at New England sandwiched by home losses to Miami and the Eagles, the latter by a 37-20 margin. The Rams then got hot again, winning five straight to take over the lead in the NFC West. The highlight was a wild 44-42 shootout win at home against Buffalo in Week 14. Despite the Bills' Josh Allen combining three touchdown passes with three scoring runs, the Rams took a 17-point lead late in the third quarter and held on for the two-point win. Wideout Puka Nacua led the way with 12 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.
The next three wins could be attributed to the Rams' rising defense. Los Angeles didn't score more than 19 points in any of its games against the 49ers, Jets and Cardinals from Weeks 15-17, but they also didn't allow more than nine points in any of those outings. San Francisco was held to 191 total yards and two field goals in Week 15 and overall the Rams' three opponents in that stretch scored a total of two touchdowns. After downing the Cardinals, 13-9, on a Saturday night, the Rams needed a handful of outcomes to go their way the next day to clinch the NFC West, and they got what they needed for a fourth division title under McVay.
The Rams were in the third spot in the overall NFC standings after that penultimate weekend and could have stayed there with a win over Seattle, but chose to prioritize rest for a few key players – including Stafford, Nacua and three starting offensive linemen – over chasing that prize. Jimmy Garoppolo started under center for the Rams and threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns but the Seahawks won it, 30-25, on a Geno Smith touchdown pass with three minutes to play. That outcome, paired with the Buccaneers' Week 18 win over New Orleans flipped the standings and made the Lions the fourth seed.
As the NFC West champs, the Rams got to serve as hosts in the Wild Card round but got a visit from the 14-3 Vikings, who they had defeated back in October. This time the Rams' victory over Minnesota was even more emphatic, as Sam Darnold was sacked an inconceivable nine times while throwing one interception and losing a fumble. Stafford had two touchdown passes and rookie edge rusher Jared Verse returned a fumble 57 yards for a touchdown in a 27-9 rout. The Rams then had to go back to Philadelphia for the Divisional Round, where they fought hard against the eventual Super Bowl champions but fell, 28-22. The Rams' pass rush remained ravenous, dropping Jalen Hurts for seven sacks, but the defense couldn't slow down Saquon Barkley, who recorded 205 of the Eagles' 285 rushing yards.
Stafford stayed healthy throughout his age-36 season and threw for 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Overall, the Rams' offense produced middle-of-the-pack numbers, ranking 15th in total yards per game (331.4) and 20th in points per game (21.6). Kyren Williams ran for 1,299 yards and 14 touchdowns but the Rams' ground game was second-worst in the NFL in yards per carry, at 3.92. Stafford did enjoy good protection from an offensive line, with the Rams ranking fifth in sacks per pass play allowed and former undrafted free agent Alaric Jackson continuing to emerge as an above-average option at left tackle.
The Rams' defense became increasingly effective as the season progressed, with rookies Verse and interior lineman Braden Fiske finding a comfort zone. Verse and Fiske were the team's first two picks in the 2024 draft, sticking together as teammates after their shared time at Florida State. Verse won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and Fiske was third in the balloting for that honor after an 8.5-sack campaign. Safety Kamren Kinchens proved to be another big hit in that draft class, tying for the team lead with four interceptions, one of which he returned 103 yards for a touchdown in the Week Eight win over Seattle.
2025 Arrivals
The Rams didn't experience a high amount of roster turnover during the 2025 season as they sought to keep a Super Bowl-contending window open while Stafford was still on the roster. The biggest move was the signing of veteran wide receiver Davante Adams, who landed in Los Angeles nine days after he was cut by the Jets on March 4. Adams has topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last five seasons despite stops in Las Vegas and New York ending without much team success. The Rams will pair him with all-star Nacua and hope he can display the form that led to him averaging 1,481 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns for the Packers from 2020-22.
The Rams made a few other additions to Stafford's arsenal, most notably using their first draft pick on Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson, who they nabbed 46th overall). They also picked up Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter in the fourth round and signed former Eagles receiver Britain Covey for some added depth.
Los Angeles may have a new starting center in 2025 after sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer handled most of those duties last season. The Rams signed former Bears center Coleman Shelton to a two-year, $12 million deal in free agency. The team also built up some veteran depth at tackle with the late signings last month of former Chief D.J. Humphries and former Viking David Quessenberry. Jackson and Rob Havenstein are still penciled in as the starters but Jackson is once again dealing with a blood clot issue that caused him to miss playing time in 2022.
On defense, the Rams one big signing was that of former Chargers' defensive tackle Poona Ford, who landed a three-year, $28 million deal. Ford will likely start at the nose and try to help the Rams improve on a run defense that allowed 4.63 yards per carry in 2024 to rank 26th in the NFL. Former Falcons linebacker Nathan Landman could also be in the mix for a starting spot after signing a small one-year deal.
The Rams used their third-round pick on Michigan edge rusher Josiah Stewart, who should mix into the rotation with Verse and Byron Young. Los Angeles has proved adept at finding good defensive contributors in the middle rounds in recent years, so the fifth-round duo of Ohio State defensive tackle Ty Hamilton and Ole Miss linebacker Chris Paul could contribute sooner rather than later.
2025 Departures
Just 12 months after signing former Lion guard Jonah Jackson to a three-year deal, the Rams moved on, dealing him to the Bears in exchange for a sixth-round pick in this year's draft. Jackson initially started at center but missed time early due to a shoulder injury and was later benched in favor of Limmer. He played just four games for the Rams.
Tackle Joseph Noteboom also played only four games for the Rams last year, spending most of the season on injured reserve due to an ankle injury. He was healthy but inactive in the playoffs. Noteboom signed a one-year, $2 million contract to be the Ravens' swing tackle.
The Rams aforementioned addition of Davante Adams filled a big hole created when the team released one of the franchise's biggest stars of the last decade, wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Kupp memorably won the receiving "Triple Crown" in 2021 with 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he has struggled with injuries in the three seasons since. In 2024, he played in 12 games and had 710 receiving yards and six scores. Kupp was released on March 12 and snapped up by the Seahawks six days later.
The Rams also saw wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who set career highs in 2024 with 505 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, leave in free agency, though he remained within the division. Robinson landed a two-year, $8 million pact with the 49ers. In addition, tight end Hunter Long departed for a two-year deal in Jacksonville.
The Rams sustained two significant losses from their defense, as both defensive tackle Bobby Brown and outside linebacker Michael Hoecht got three-year, $21 million deals elsewhere, Brown in Carolina and Hoecht in Buffalo. Brown started 29 games over the past two seasons and had 75 tackles but just 0.5 sacks. Hoecht was in the edge rush rotating, playing 57% of the defensive snaps, down from 85% in 2023. A former undrafted free agent, Hoecht tallied 13.5 sacks over the past three seasons.
Linebacker Christian Rozeboom started a career-high 11 games in 2024 but became a free agent and took a one-year deal in Carolina. Defensive end Neville Gallimore came to L.A. right before the start of the season after being cut by the Dolphins and ended up with four starts in 14 games before leaving for Indianapolis in free agency.
Other Noteworthy Developments
Early in the offseason, there were some rumblings that Stafford's time in Los Angeles might be done, as he was given permission to speak with other teams in advance of a potential trade. He did in fact have discussions with the Raiders and Giants but those proved to just be precursors to a new deal with the Rams that will give him $84 million over the next two years. The Rams kept the rest of their quarterback room intact by re-signing veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo. He is likely to remain Stafford's primary backup ahead of 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett.
In addition to Garoppolo, the Rams also kept some other potential free agents in town with new deals, including wide receiver Tutu Atwell, tackle Alaric Jackson, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon and linebacker Troy Reeder.
As noted earlier, the Rams picked up valuable 2026 first-round draft pick during the 2025 draft by trading down with the Rams, who were after Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. The move gives Los Angeles, which also has its own pick in the first round next year, gives the team a little flexibility if it decides to go after Stafford's eventual successor.
With Nick Caley leaving McVay's staff to serve as the Houston Texans' new offensive coordinator, the team hired former Seahawks assistant Scott Huff to be their new tight ends coach. Caley had also served as the team's pass game coordinator, with that task now going to Nate Scheelhaase, who had been an offensive assistant and pass game specialist for the Rams for one season.
Alex Van Pelt also joins McVay's staff after spending last season as the Patriots' offensive coordinator, and the two prior seasons in the same role with Cleveland. Van Pelt got the title of senior offensive assistant in Los Angeles. Jimmy Lake returned to the team after just one season as the defensive coordinator on Raheem Morris's staff in Atlanta. The Rams also created a new position of pass rush coordinator in order to bring Drew Wilkins in after he also coached in New England last year, tutoring the linebackers.
Pressing Questions
Will the Rams' offensive line provide the level of protection the Rams need to keep Matthew Stafford on the field for 17 games?
This is a key question for Los Angeles in 2025, though there is certainly reason for optimism. After winning the Super Bowl following the 2021 season, the Rams dropped to 5-12 in 2022 when Stafford missed roughly half of the season due to concussions and a spinal cord contusion. Over the past two seasons, the big-armed quarterback has only missed two games due to injury and the Rams have posted back-to-back 10-7 records. The backup remains Jimmy Garoppolo who only played in one game last season, which the Rams lost. Garoppolo had previously gone 3-3 as the Raiders' starter in 2023 and has significant starting experience, but most analysts would view the Rams' offense as less dangerous if he had to replace Stafford for an extended period of time.
The Rams cold be returning four starters from a line that did a pretty good job in pass protection in 2024. Stafford was sacked just 28 times in 16 games and the Rams finished fifth in the NFL with a sacks-per-pass-rate-allowed of 5.55%. And the one new presumptive starter, Coleman Shelton, is familiar with the offense, having played for the Rams from 2019-23 before spending last year in Chicago. Shelton started all 17 games for the Rams in 2023.
The reason for concern, however, is the return of a blood clot issue for ascending left tackle Alaric Jackson. This was revealed in June and the team is reportedly optimistic the fifth-year veteran will be ready to go for the start of the season, but the same problem cost him roughly half the season in 2022. After returning from his first bout with blood clots, Jackson proved to be a strong blindside protector for Stafford while starter 29 games over the past two seasons.
The Rams may have signaled at least some level of concern about Jackson's availability to start the season by signing veteran tackles D.J. Humphries and David Quessenberry in June. Humphries would likely be the replacement for Jackson at left tackle if needed, but injuries have kept him off the field quite a bit over the last three years. He missed nine games with Arizona due to a back injury in 2022, and even though he rebounded to make 15 starts in 2023 his season ended with an ACL tear that had him out of commission for much of 2024. He signed to a Chiefs team desperate for help at offensive tackle in late November but then suffered a hamstring injury.
Will the Rams have to deal with a much higher level of competition in the quest to defend their division title in 2025?
Los Angeles was not the favorite to win the NFC West last year, particularly after a 1-4 start coupled with the Seahawks' three-game winning streak to start the season. San Francisco was coming off a narrow loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII and had won the division the two previous seasons; the 49ers were considered not only division favorites but strong candidates for a return to the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, a long string of injuries derailed their season and they limped to a 6-11 record, losing seven of their last eight and falling out of contention early. However, the Seahawks did match the Rams' 10-7 record, only losing out on the division title on a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker.
The 49ers are a very strong bounceback candidate in 2025 and are expecting to return to competitive form after giving quarterback Brock Purdy a mega contract. The team had to make some difficult decisions during the offseason in order to be able to re-sign Purdy and a couple other key players, trading away wide receiver Deebo Samuel, releasing defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and watching linebacker Drew Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Charvarius Ward walk in free agency. Still, the roster remains loaded with talent, and any offense that boasts Purdy, Trent Williams, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and – critically – a healthy Christian McCaffrey should keep San Francisco in any game.
The Seahawks made a switch at quarterback from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold, and the jury remains out on whether that will be a net positive or negative. The team also moved on from wideouts DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. However, the Seahawks' defense appears to be on the rise as the team heads into its second season under Head Coach Mike Macdonald.
The Cardinals have had three losing seasons in a row but did show some improvement in 2024 to finish at 8-9. That included three wins over the Rams and 49ers. There is some optimism in the desert this year with Kyler Murray now surrounded by the likes of Trey McBride, Zay Jones and second-year breakout candidate Marvin Harrison Jr. In addition, the defensive front got some much needed help n the form of Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson, while rookie Will Johnson brings a dose of talent to the cornerback room.
In addition, the Rams will be playing a first-placed schedule in 2025, so in addition to the challenges in their own division, they have to play such 2024 playoff teams as the Eagles, Lions and Buccaneers. The Rams are going for it again with Stafford still in the fold, but the road to the top could be tougher this time around.
