Will Predicted Rams QB Matthew Stafford 'Big Bounce-Back’ Mean Playoffs?
There are currently only six active quarterbacks who have a Super Bowl ring on their resume. Among them is Matthew Stafford, who led the Los Angeles Rams to a Lombardi Trophy during his first season with the team in 2021.
The season following, though, was an entirely different story in Los Angeles. Just one year after winning it all, the Rams went a disappointing 5-12 and suffered a mighty Super Bowl hangover.
One of the biggest reasons for said struggles was a mountain of injuries, including those to Stafford … who appeared in just nine games - only the third time in his career he hasn't made double-digit starts. Despite that, though, Yahoo Sports listed him as a candidate for a big bounce-back season in 2023.
"When Stafford was healthy last season, he still looked like a quality starting quarterback capable of winning games, but the team around him really struggled," Yahoo Sports writes. "This season, he’ll be getting Cooper Kupp back along with interior offensive lineman Steve Avila, the 36th overall pick in this year’s draft."
"This should be a bounce-back campaign for Stafford, even if it doesn’t result in a playoff berth for the Rams as a whole."
In those nine games last season Stafford threw for 2,087 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 68 percent of his passes. Yes, the interception number was high, but that's always been a part of his game.
And yes, there are potentially some reasons to be concerned about Stafford's health moving forward.
However, when healthy? He has shown he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, throwing for 4,886 yards with 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while completing 67.2 percent of his passes en route to the first championship of his career in 2021.
There is no telling if the Rams will be a bounce-back team as a whole, or if they will once again miss the playoffs for the second straight year. If Stafford can stay healthy, though, there is plenty of reason to believe he'll show everyone what makes him one of the league's elite signal-callers in 2023.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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