The Los Angeles Rams defeated the defending Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30-27 Sunday afternoon. This game was truly insane, and probably only matched by the night game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. The Rams once again looked phenomenal early but had to escape with the victory.

Rams players and fans alike are certainly thrilled to be moving on to the NFC Championship game. There are some big positives to take away from this game, but also some serious issues of concern.

Here are the key takeaways for the Rams in their win over the Buccaneers.

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3 Rams Takeaways from win over Buccaneers

3. Odell Beckham Jr. has become an important part of the offense

Midway through the season, the Rams shocked the NFL world by signing Odell Beckham Jr. The former Pro Bowl receiver was cut by the Cleveland Browns amid controversy and lack of productivity. It was unknown whether Beckham Jr. was capable of being an elite receiver again. The Rams lost Robert Woods to a season-ending injury a couple of days after signing Beckham Jr.

After going scoreless in Cleveland this year, OBJ scored five touchdowns in the eight regular-season games he appeared in with the Rams. He was clearly becoming a red zone threat at the very least. On Sunday, we finally saw some of the athleticism, breakaway speed, and amazing hands that made him famous with the New York Giants.

His total line was not incredibly impressive. He finished with six catches for 69 yards, without a touchdown. But if you watched this game, you felt his impact.

Early in the game, Beckham Jr. caught the ball on a crossing route and used his explosiveness to make guys miss and pick up 20 yards. He looked agile and quick again. He was in open space, seemingly for the first time in many years. Later in the game, he caught a back-shoulder throw with one hand. It was a great catch, reminding people of his Giants' days.

His prime might be in the past. He will never be the most important receiver on the Rams while Cooper Kupp is there. But after Sunday, I saw enough to say that Odell Beckham Jr. is back to being a vital receiver in an offense.

For the first time, he is playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

2. All the Matthew Stafford playoff talk was trash

I was so happy to watch Matthew Stafford play as well as he did again Sunday. He was under a lot of pressure last week. All of the talk entering the NFC wild-card round was that Matthew Stafford had never won a playoff game.

He played for the DETROIT LIONS. Come on, give me a break. The Lions had a bottom-five defense almost every year of his career. Can you name a single running back he ever had on his team that wasn't practically useless?

The fact that he took the Lions to the playoffs three times in 12 years is a credit to him, not a knock on him. He should have beaten the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card game in 2014. The refs made sure that didn't happen, though.

Last week, Stafford got the monkey off his back. He won his first playoff game. Yet, critics point to the fact he only had to attempt a minimal amount of passes as the Rams ran the ball so well.

Well, the Rams couldn't run Sunday. Where are those critics now?

Stafford ripped the Buccaneers secondary apart all game long. It was also the first time all season Tampa Bay had all 11 starters on defense, literally. Yet, he made it look easy and helped build a 27-3 lead.

Cam Akers fumbled twice, once at Tampa Bay's one-yard line. Cooper Kupp coughed one up as well. The only turnover from Stafford wasn't even on Stafford. The Rams center snapped the ball clearly working on a different snap count. Even if you put that one on him, he made amends.

Tom Brady did was he always does. He made impossible, a certainty. He helped erase a 27-3 deficit and tied the game with less than a minute left.

Stafford didn't blink.

Stafford completed a couple of passes to Cooper Kupp, the second of which went for 44 yards and set up the game-winning field goal. He showed that he has some serious stones in big moments and it's not the first time.

Since he entered the NFL in 2009, no quarterback has had more game-winning drives than his 43.

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Remember, most of those came playing for the Lions. Essentially, all of their wins were because he led them to victory. If you have a question about his legitimacy, come see me.

1. The Rams need to be worried next week

As amazing as the Rams players and fans feel right now, next week is a whole other animal.

Momentum is a big thing in sports. So are matchups. To this point in Sean McVay's career, he has done an amazing job against just about everyone, except Kyle Shanahan.

McVay is 0-6 against Shanahan during his coaching career. After the 49ers' massive upset against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, I guarantee they believe they can beat anyone. After the results on Sunday, they know they can.

In Week 18, with the NFC West hanging in the balance, the Rams led 17-0 against the 49ers. McVay was 45-0 with a lead at halftime. They lost. He is now 45-1. There is no team playing with more confidence than San Francisco right now.

Sunday was an exciting win for the Rams. Had they dominated from beginning to end, they would have the same momentum San Francisco has going into the NFC Championship. I told my friend as I watched it play out. It is important to finish this game strong. It will give the Rams the sense of confidence that “Hey, we can do this. We can beat this team.” Then, they almost folded again.

I'm not saying they will lose. They are playing at home. They are more talented than the 49ers. But momentum and matchups favor San Francisco. Matthew Stafford is going to have to once again play like the Hall of Fame quarterback that he is.