Stafford's high-end play and leadership are crucial for the Rams' present and future
It was not a dominant performance by Matthew Stafford by any means. But the quarterback showed a great attitude, as always, as was an imperative part of the puzzle for the Los Angeles Rams to beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-16 on Sunday, keeping their playoff hopes alive. The Rams are in a rebuilding year. They […]
It was not a dominant performance by Matthew Stafford by any means. But the quarterback showed a great attitude, as always, as was an imperative part of the puzzle for the Los Angeles Rams to beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-16 on Sunday, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
The Rams are in a rebuilding year. They traded away cornerback Jalen Ramsey and wide receiver Allen Robinson, and the team is 32nd in cash spending this season. So there could have been an initial question of why they are keeping veteran players like Stafford and Aaron Donald. But this kind of game and the locker room relevance of these pieces are big parts of what the management is trying to build.
"It comes from our leader, from number nine," rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua said about the team's drive to overcome a 16-7 deficit coming into the fourth quarter. "The grit – you see him take some of those shots during the game, and the ability to stand back up and still command our offense and lead him in the way he does. When you have number nine in the backfield, a lot of things are going right."
Matthew Stafford hadn't played the previous game against the Green Bay Packers, and the offense with Brett Rypien scored only three points. Coming back from a thumb injury, it was natural that the quarterback would face some rust. But after the interception he threw, Stafford completed seven of 11 passes for 111 yards.
"This is one of the things that makes him great, is these types of moments," Rams head coach Sean McVay said. "You can add it to his legacy and his storied career of these come-from-behind wins, when it looks like the chips are stacked against you and he just finds a way to be able to get the drives."
Obviously, the 2021 team deserves credit because they won the Super Bowl. But individually, Stafford has played better in 2023, and it's one of his best seasons in the NFL.
According to PFF, he's had a 6.5% big-time throw rate — it was 5.7% in 2021 and 4.8% last year. Meanwhile, his turnover-worthy play rate is only 1.8%, an elite number — especially if compared to 2021's 3.7% and 2022's 3.5%. It's the best year of Stafford's career avoiding mistakes — except for 2010, when a shoulder injury limited his season to just three games.
Playoff hopes
A playoff push is unlikely for the Rams at this point, but the win over the Seattle Seahawks gave the team some hope. Last week, they had a 5% chance of making the playoffs. Now, their chances are at 16%.
It's a small number because Los Angeles still has games against the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. But their schedule also has games versus the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, and New York Giants.
Making the playoffs or not, the Rams are trying to build something relevant for the next few years. Matthew Stafford is a big part of that, both because of his playing level and because of the impact his leadership skills have over such a young roster.
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