Matthew Stafford Makes Unwanted NFL History in Devastating Loss to Seahawks

Despite another stellar game from Matthew Stafford, the Rams fell short of returning to the Super Bowl.

Matthew Stafford and the Rams fell to the Seahawks in the NFC title game. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Perhaps the finest season of Matthew Stafford’s career falls short of the Super Bowl.

After missing much of the preseason due to a back injury, Stafford went on to lead the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns for the first time while emerging as the league’s top MVP candidate. He led the Rams back to the NFC championship game for the first time since their Super Bowl run four years ago, but lost to the Seahawks 31-27, ending their hopes of winning another title this year.

Impressively, Stafford has put together some of his best performances this season against the Seahawks and their defense which finished the year ranked No. 1 in points allowed per game. That remained true on Sunday, when Stafford completed 22 of 35 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns. In three games against Seattle this season, he’s combined for 961 yards, eight touchdowns and no picks.

Even with that level of play, the Rams fell short of the victory for the second straight time as he failed to convert on third and fourth down during the Rams’ final trip to the red zone. The Rams came away with no points, and the Seahawks held on to win.

With the loss, Stafford becomes the first quarterback to throw for 350+ yards, 3+ touchdowns with no turnovers in a postseason game and lose, according to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press.

Stafford is not the first quarterback to play great in a playoff game and lose. In Super Bowl LII, Tom Brady threw for 505 yards, three touchdowns and fumbled once as the Patriots fell to the Eagles. In the 2013-14 season, Alex Smith threw for 378 yards, four touchdowns and fumbled once in the Chiefs’ collapse against the Colts.

Ultimately, one quarterback was going to lose despite playing great football. On the other side, Sam Darnold registered a similar stat line as he thew for 346 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over.

Regardless, Stafford’s strong performance makes the Rams’ loss even harder to digest. Though he and the Rams failed to capitalize on their last trip to the end zone, they also lost a possession due to Xavier Smith’s muffed punt which the Seahawks recovered and converted into a touchdown. Throughout the game, Stafford rallied back with big passes to keep the Rams in contention, but between the lost possession and failed fourth down attempt, they simply came up short.

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