SoFi Stadium's inaugural season was uniquely anticlimactic. Due to COVID-19 regulations, fans in Los Angeles weren't permitted to attend games in 2020, which forced the Rams and Chargers to play at home without crowds.
But the state-of-the-art stadium, set to host Super Bowl 56 come February, reopened at full-capacity this season. And NBC Sports Los Angeles reporter Michael Duarte believes that SoFi Stadium's bright lights and noise provide the Rams with a true home-field advantage.
"SoFi Stadium, through two games, has a definitive home-field advantage," Duarte told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Wednesday. "That place gets loud. I tip my hat to Stan Kroenke for developing it, the acoustics that he did in paying for this $5 billion stadium. Because when you're on the field -- which I've had the luxury of being on the field -- the stage is so bright.
"You feel like you're a Broadway star or something, because of the lights and the [scoreboard] halo above you. You can just feel the crowd on top of you, and it's so loud in there. And it's such a great environment, with all the new technology. That's something [the Rams] can hang their hat on, beating the champs and Tom Brady."
Los Angeles firmly established itself as Super Bowl contenders on Sunday, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34-24. Matthew Stafford delivered an MVP-caliber performance, throwing for 343 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Through three games, Stafford has been as advertised -- he owns a 70.2 completion percentage with 942 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and just one interception. The 33-year-old veteran is also averaging 10.0 yards per attempt, a mark well above his career average of 7.2 with the Detroit Lions, and his 14.3 yards per completion ranks second-best in the NFL.
Los Angeles (3-0) will host the Arizona Cardinals (3-0) in a marquee Week 4 matchup on Sunday, Oct. 3. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Rams have an 86-percent chance to reach the playoffs and a 50-percent chance to win the NFC West.
The entire conversation between Duarte and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.