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
The Cardinals improved by four wins in Jonathan Gannon's second season as head coach but still missed the playoffs with an 8-9 record. They endured a brutal early-season schedule – six of the first seven teams they faced made the playoffs and the seventh was a San Francisco squad that hadn't yet fully fallen apart. Week One brought a trip up to Buffalo and the Cardinals were within three in the fourth quarter before losing, 34-28. Arizona's home opener in Week Two turned out much better, as Kyler Murray threw three touchdown passes – two to rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. – and finished with a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a 41-10 rout of the Rams.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was part of a 216-yard, four-touchdown rushing onslaught that led Washington to a 42-14 drubbing of the Cardinals in the desert in Week Four and Jordan Love powered a 34-17 Packers win over the Cardinals in Green Bay in Week Six.
However, Arizona ripped off a four-game winning streak from Weeks 7-10, which put them at 7-10 heading into their bye week and in first place in the NFC West. The run started with a pair of thrillers. First, James Conner ripped off 33 of his 152 yards from scrimmage in a catch in the game's closing seconds to power a game-winning two-minute drill ending in Chad Ryland's walk-off field goal in a 17-15 win over the Chargers before a Monday Night Football audience. The following weekend in Miami, Murray threw for 307 yards and two scores and the Cardinals once again won on a field goal as time expired, with the visitors scoring 10 points in the game's final minutes. Relative laughers at home against Chicago (29-9) and the New York Jets (31-6) took Arizona to the bye week.
After the results of Week 11, while the Cardinals were idle, the team still had a hold on first place in the division, by exactly one game over all three of other teams, all sitting at 5-5. The next stretch of games was clearly crucial for Arizona as it included a home-and-home set with the division-rival Seahawks sandwiched around a game in Minnesota against a Vikings' squad that had lost only twice all season. Unfortunately, the results weren't what Cardinal fans had hoped for, as Arizona lost all three amid an offensive lull, averaging just over 15 points per outing.
In the first game against the Seahawks, on the road, Leonard Williams led a five-sack charge on Murray, who was also picked off and held without a touchdown in a 16-6 final. The Cardinals' defense turned the tables on Minnesota the next week, sacking Sam Darnold five times, while rising-star tight end Trey McBride powered the offense with 12 catches for 96 yards. Arizona had a three point lead and was in the midst of a 16-play, eight-minute drive in the fourth quarter that got down to the Vikings' five-yard line with four minutes left. Arizona could have made it a two-score game but had to settle for a field goal after McBride was tackled at the four on third-and-16. That left Minnesota enough time to counter with a touchdown drive ending in Aaron Jones' six-yard catch to make it 23-22 for the home team. A chance to even the score against Seattle in Week 14 ended unceremoniously as the visiting Seahawks opened up a 24-10 lead by halftime and cruised to a 30-18 victory.
Suddenly two games back of Seattle and effectively three thanks to Seattle's sweep, the Cardinals got back on track with a 30-17 win over the visiting Patriots in which Conner ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns and the Arizona defense hit rookie quarterback Drake with both an interception and a forced fumble. The good feelings didn't last long, however, as a 36-30 loss at Carolina coupled with a Rams win the following weekend eliminated Arizona from playoff contention with two weeks to go.
The Cardinals also lost to those Rams, 13-9, the following week but did finish the campaign on a high note with a 47-24 drubbing of the 49ers in which Murray threw four touchdown passes, including two to wideout Greg Dortch, and no interceptions.
Arizona's offense showed signs of life in 2024, ranking 11th in total yards and seventh in rushing yards. The team was streaky in terms of actual scoring but did finish 12th with 23.5 points per game. Murray threw for 3,851 yards and ran for another 572 (plus five touchdowns), but his 21-11 TD-INT ratio was a bit disappointing. His favorite target was McBride, who had a monstrous season for a tight end with 111 catches for 1,146 yards, though he bizarrely only scored twice. Harrison wasn't quite the instant superstar some had anticipated but his 62-catch, 885-yard debut season showed plenty of promise. Conner continued to quietly produce like a star running back, in this case rushing for 1,094 yads and eight touchdowns and averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Arizona's defense made a mild jump from the year before, improving from 25th in the yardage rankings to 21st, and surrendered the 15th fewest points in the league. Linebacker Zaven Collins led the team in sacks, but with just 5.0, and he had a total of seven quarterback hits. The team did amass 41 sacks by a committee approach and ranked in the middle of the pack in sacks-per-pass-play. Sean Murphy-Bunting led the team with three interceptions.
2025 Arrivals
Looking to spice up its edge rush, the Cardinals moved quickly in free agency to land one of the most coveted players available, outside linebacker Josh Sweat. Sweat was coming off a star turn in the Eagles' Super Bowl victory over Kansas City, making his eight-sack regular season look even better.
The bigger makeover along the Arizona front, however, was made along the interior line. The Cardinals gave former Cleveland Brown Dalvin Tomlinson a two-year, $29 million deal to handle the nose tackle spot, then brought back franchise icon Calais Campbell to line up next to him. Campbell played his first nine seasons in Arizona and then eight more at a variety of NFL stops before returning in what will be his age-39 season. The big man remains effective, with at least 5.0 sacks and 12 QB hits in each of his last three seasons, all for different clubs.
Arizona didn't stop there, subsequently using its first pick in the draft, number 16 overall on Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. The 300-pound Nolen has an explosive first step and could emerge as the type of interior penetrator every defense covets; he's likely to start right away.
The Cardinals likely found another starter in the secondary on draft weekend, landing Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. Johnson was considered a first-round talent but he slipped to the second over concerns about a knee injury and could end up as a steal for a secondary that clearly needed some playmakers. The Cardinals drafted a second cornerback, Ohio State's Denzel Burke, later in the draft and he at least provides depth behind the team's other presumptive starter, Max Melton. Other defensive depth added in the draft includes third-round outside linebacker Jordan Burch (Oregon) and fourth-round linebacker Cody Simon (Ohio State).
Free agency may have brought a new starter to the middle of the defense as well, with linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither coming over from Cincinnati on a two-year deal.
Likely content that a core of McBride, Harrison, Conner, Zay Jones and Michael Wilson around Murray can form an explosive attack – particularly if Harrison takes a second-year leap – the Cardinals used more of their available assets on the defensive side of the ball during the 2025 offseason. Former Charger Simi Fehoko is the only addition of note to the wide receiver room, and his single-season high in receiving yards is last year's 106. Arizona did arrange a dependable quarterback option behind Murray by giving the well-traveled Jacoby Brissett a two-year, $12.5 million contract.