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Be thankful for: The best defense in the NFC. That's what they have statistically, and league-wide only the Steelers have been better. Sean McVay gets all the attention, but the Rams' offense ranks 17th. Defensively, starting with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey helps. But the key to the Rams' success has been finding guys like Darious Williams, Jordan Fuller and Leonard Floyd. They limited the Buccaneers to just one touchdown on their final seven drives Monday night.

They will be a tough team to beat with that defense playing the way it is this season. Jared Goff is coming off an impressive showing against the Bucs.

Massive win in Tampa vaulted them from NFC's projected sixth seed all the way up to No. 2 while conferring NFC West lead. But much could change with four divisional games yet to play.

What they're thankful for: Defense

Sean McVay built an offensive juggernaut in his first two seasons as coach, but now in his fourth season, the defense has taken over and ranks second in the NFL in efficiency and average points allowed per game (18.7). Defensive tackle Aaron Donald has set the tone with 32 pressures entering Monday night and nine sacks while Jalen Ramsey has not only been a lockdown cornerback, but has proved he can play various positions in the secondary. The Rams also have several lesser-known players who have stepped up, including cornerback Darious Williams, who leads the team with four interceptions. -- Lindsey Thiry

So much for the narrative that the Rams are a team that only feasts on the have-nots of the league. Last week, Los Angeles throttled the mighty Seahawks offense. On Monday night, they went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and the Bucs and came away with a 27-24 win in Tampa. Again, it was the defense that led the way for Sean McVay's team: Brady never looked comfortable in the pocket and was intercepted twice by Jordan Fuller, including the game-clincher with less than two minutes to play. On offense, Jared Goff was locked in with his top wideouts: Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods combined for 23 catches and became the first teammates in Rams history to both have 10 catches in a game. The Rams control their destiny in the NFC West.