Rams QB Matthew Stafford Reveals Reason For Success in 2023
The Los Angeles Rams are back in the NFC playoff hunt, and a large part of that credit goes to the resurgence of a now-healthy quarterback in Matthew Stafford.
After starting the season 3-6, the Rams have rebounded to a 6-7 record and have seen Stafford return from an injury sustained earlier in the season in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. In media availability on Wednesday, Stafford was asked if he feels like he has improved as a player this season, and instead of taking credit, he gave praise to the rest of his team.
“I'm always trying to improve, trying to get better week-to-week and like I said earlier, each game is unique, right?" Stafford said. "What's asked of me? What is my job for that week? It's always to go out there and play at a high level, but sometimes that looks different.
"So just proud of the guys. If I'm playing well, that means the guys in front of me are blocking. The guys on the outside are getting open and catching it. We're running the ball efficiently. It's an unbelievable team sport. It takes everybody to do all of it."
Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford
© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Still, Stafford deserves a lot of credit for the offensive revitalization that has been seen in L.A. in recent weeks, even after an overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. He stated on Wednesday that his focus does not shift from game-to-game, and he has the same mindset in order to be successful each week.
"I'm just trying to make sure that when everything is right around me and my number is called to go out there and do my job as best I possibly can," Stafford said. "Knowing that the guys around me are all fighting to do the exact same thing, just working towards one mission, and that's trying to win the game.”
The Rams are currently on the outside looking in if the NFC playoff picture was decided today, but they have opportunities to reenter the top seven seeds in the conference over the next few weeks. The home stretch of the regular season begins on Sunday for Los Angeles when it plays host to the Washington Commanders.
Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. PT, and the game will be televised on CBS.
