Sports

The Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford are having a very big year.

Stafford is having the finest season of his NFL career and is currently the betting favorite to win the NFL's Most Valuable Player award. And the Rams are the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl.

The Rams' current odds to win it all are +550 at DraftKings, with the Eagles in second at +600. Stafford's odds to win MVP are +135, with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye next at +185.

In his 17th NFL season, Stafford is playing better than ever, completing 223 of 338 passes for 2,557 yards, with 27 touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating of 112.7 is the best of his career. Stafford has never won the league MVP or even received a single first-place MVP vote, but this could be the year he does it.

Stafford is far from the only reason the Rams are winning, however. The Rams' defense is second in the NFL with 18 takeaways and is allowing just 4.96 yards per play, seventh-best in the league.

At 8-2, the Rams are in first place in the NFC West and look like they're going to be in a competitive race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. With seven games to go, the Rams and Stafford are tough to bet against.

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald surprised the football-following world by retiring after the 2023 season. It didn't surprise him, at all.

“I knew from when I first walked on the field for training camp that it would be my last year," Donald told reporters on Wednesday, four days before the team honors him during a Sunday night home game against the Buccaneers. "I didn't want to share that with you guys. I didn't want to be a distraction, but my family knew. I knew. I'm pretty sure a couple of the coaches. . . . I know Sean [McVay] had a feel for it because we had conversations prior to me coming back. I knew from the start of the season what it was going to be. That's why my last year I tried to enjoy it every moment of it, taking it all in, the bad games and the good games. I was just trying to take it in like a kid playing all over again. I felt like I did that. I had a lot of fun my last season. To be with a young group that had a lot of success, to see those guys grow over the years, it’s pretty cool to watch them now."

So does he miss football?

“No," Donald said. "To be honest with you, I never have had an itch after I retired to like, ‘I want to come back, I want to play football still.’ You miss things from the game and for me, it's not really playing the game. It's being in the locker room, hanging with the guys, watching film, cracking jokes, more the comraderie with the fellas. I'm OK. I'm fulfilled. I'm happy with where I'm at in my life right now and what I'm doing and obviously everything I do I strive for greatness. I felt like I checked that off of football and in the next chapter of life, just transitioning all that into what I'm trying to do and build right now. I love the game of football. I just don't love playing the game of football anymore."

He did it well enough to be a first-ballot, no-brainer, mic-drop Hall of Famer. That's still a few years away, but it's inevitable.

As inevitable as Donald blowing up the opposing offensive line and wreaking havoc, for more often than not. Which he probably could do this weekend, if he wanted to do it.

The Buccaneers held only a walk-through on Wednesday because several players were under the weather.

“Unfortunately, this Wednesday, a lot of people have taken ill," coach Todd Bowles said. "There is a bug going around the building. We had about five coaches and about 15 players down, so that helped aid in this walk-through. There’s nothing we can really do about that today.”

Six players, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, were limited with the illness.

Center Graham Barton, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, offensive guard Dan Feeney, offensive tackle Luke Goedeke and defensive end Logan Hall were sick.

Outside linebacker Chris Braswell (foot), offensive guard Ben Bredeson (hamstring), cornerback Jamel Dean (hip), kicker Chase McLaughlin (personal) and outside linebacker Haason Reddick (ankle/knee) did not practice.

Wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. (fibula), running back Bucky Irving (shoulder/foot), wide receiver Sterling Shepard (shoulder) and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (shoulder) were limited.