It's Too Early to Crown Matthew Stafford as the Savior of the L.A. Rams
Everybody loves Matthew Stafford now that he's the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams.
Everyone, from local pundits in L.A. to national media members like NBC Sports' Cris Collinsworth, has been quick to heap praise upon the former Lions signal-caller ... and I'll admit, rightfully so.
The 33-year-old is off to an impressive start with his new employer. He's thrown for nine touchdowns, just one interception and 942 yards through his first three games in a Rams uniform. The veteran gunslinger has also completed 70.2 percent of his passes -- which would be a career high for Stafford if the season ended today.
And, he impressively outdueled future Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady a week ago, completing 27-of-38 passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns in the Rams' 34-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The performance left Stafford's new sideline boss in Los Angeles, Sean McVay, thoroughly impressed.
"He just brings everything to life,” McVay expressed to Peter King of NBC Sports. “Here’s my favorite part about what he did today. He missed some throws in that game early where we had looks that we wanted. And he just couldn’t wait for his next opportunity to respond. He expects to make all those plays, but he’s unaffected when he doesn’t and he just can’t wait for his next opportunity to compete to do it. I can be my normal basket-case self, and he’s just so calm, so resilient and poised.”
Then, there's the multitude of accomplishments Stafford's accumulated to start the season, including his league-leading 82.60 QBR and his two NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors (for Week 1 and Week 3).
So, there's no doubt his tenure with McVay & Co. in Los Angeles is off to a promising start.
And, before the season even started, McVay provided L.A.'s new No. 1 passer with some high praise.
"He (Stafford) has got such a great lens that he sees the game through, and I’ve been able to learn a lot from him, as I know of some of our other coaches and his teammates," McVay said. "So, he has got such a great inventory of things to be able to draw on, and that’s a really beneficial thing for our offense and especially for me.”
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Before we anoint Stafford as the savior of the Rams, though, there are a few things to consider.
Most notably, he's never won a playoff game in his career. He played in just three playoff games in 12 years in Detroit, and lost each one of them.
His numbers in those games weren't too great, either. In the postseason, he's thrown for just four total touchdowns, to go along with three interceptions and an 87.8 passer rating.
Additionally, when you look at the numbers from his two most recent playoff appearances, it gets even worse for Stafford. In those games, against the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, he threw for a total of just one touchdown, to go along with an interception, and he was sacked six times and lost two fumbles.
Needless to say, Stafford is an unproven playoff performer, with mediocre numbers at best in his postseason career.
Meanwhile, Jared Goff, McVay's former franchise passer and the present starting QB in Motown, has played in six playoff games (3-3 record), and has been to a Super Bowl, albeit with a better supporting cast than Stafford ever had the luxury of playing with while in the Motor City.
Stafford deserves all the praise in the world for his MVP-caliber start to the 2021 NFL season. However, he still needs to prove himself in the playoffs, and for starters, win a dang playoff game.
If and when he does, we can potentially start talking about him as the missing piece to the Rams' championship puzzle. However, until then, let's pump the brakes on that narrative.
