Rams QB Matthew Stafford 'Frustrated' with Interceptions; Can He Find Solution?
In this story:
The Los Angeles Rams built a big 28-3 lead over the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday's eventual 31-27 win at SoFi Stadium.
But, along with other critical mistakes from the team, the Rams nearly lost the lead because of interceptions he threw that helped spark Atlanta's near comeback.
Stafford now leads the league in interceptions with five as Week 2 concluded Monday night. He tossed three picks in the season-opening blowout to the Buffalo Bills and had two more in the win over Atlanta, the second of which helped the Falcons score their first touchdown before going on a furious rally.
Stafford has been known throughout his career as a down-the-field risk-taker, meaning interceptions are bound to happen from one time to another. But even he admitted that he doesn't want any of his mistakes to "pull" the team back.
"Those plays are frustrating for me, and I know frustrating for our team," Stafford said. "I want to make sure that I'm doing everything I can to help our team move in the right direction, move forward, win games, play great, all that kind of stuff and try to limit the times that I'm pulling us backward with an interception or a tough play in the pocket, whatever it is."
However, when it comes to finding a solution, he's going to do what every seasoned veteran would: look at the mistakes and the positives before moving on to the next task at hand.
“Yeah, I think every game is an opportunity to go out there and play," Stafford said. "You can't sit there and go, ‘Okay, what's happened?’ I know it's only two, but you know, I don't put both games together. Each game is a new opportunity to go out there and play at a high level. Are there two plays from this game that I can clean up? Absolutely. Are there a lot of good plays to take from it? Yes."
For Rams coach Sean McVay, turnovers were a big reason why he said jokingly said he "needed a couple drinks" after the heart-pounding win. He gave an honest and positive assessment of Stafford's play, but said that the two interceptions is what everyone will point to.
"Those two stand out," McVay said of the turnovers. "I know that's what you guys will see, but I saw a guy that had total command, saw the field really well and it's unfortunate that those two errors that we had ended up leading to turnovers, but you give them credit. They made those plays.”
Stafford is his own biggest critic. It'd be hard to put finding a solution past him just two weeks into the season. But he'll need to cure the interception bug quickly in Week 3 against a San Francisco 49ers team that picked him off five times last season.
"I've been doing it for a long time," Stafford said. "I'm hard on myself at all times. I'll definitely look inward and try to figure out a way to make sure those things don't happen.”
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rams? Click Here
Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Ram Digest message board community today!
