The Los Angeles Rams will have a target on their back during the 2022 season as every defending Super Bowl Champion does.
The Rams faced a tough and arduous road to get to the Super Bowl, including a matchup with the previous year’s champion the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Los Angeles took a commanding lead in the third quarter of the NFC Divisional Round but Tom Brady led Tampa Bay to a comeback that left the game tied late in the fourth quarter. However, Matthew Stafford was able to find Cooper Kupp streaking down the middle of the field to eventually set up the game-winning field goal for Matt Gay.
The win marked the third time the Rams have beaten the Buccaneers in the playoffs, and players like linebacker Devin White are already looking forward to their rematch next season, via JoeBucksFans.com:
“I always have that [game] circled,” White said. “We’ve never beat them [in the playoffs]. I definitely know we’ve never beat them [in the playoffs]. There was a perfect time to beat them [in the playoffs last year] when it really, really mattered.”
Los Angeles and Tampa Bay will face off in Week 9 of the 2022 season in Tampa Bay and it will once again be headlined by Brady, who came out of retirement. Both teams feature the core of the rosters that met in the postseason, which means there will be added levels of intrigue during the matchup.
Playing against Brady always has its challenges, but L.A. has done a great job of scheming their defense to limit the damage he can do throwing the football. It is fair to say that the Rams and Buccaneers will be the favorites to come out of the NFC and it will be exciting to see them go head-to-head when the time comes later in the year.
