Matthew Stafford overcame his own shortcomings to lead the Los Angeles Rams to victory over the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card Round, and he will look to repeat the latter part of that at least against the Chicago Bears in the Divisional Playoffs.
At this point in the campaign, much of what Stafford does is gravy on a lengthy and accomplished career.
Nonetheless, the three-time Pro Bowler drew fitting recognition between outings.
Matthew Stafford Sparks Rams Message
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after defeating the Carolina Panthers.
Stafford is coming off an up-and-down outing against the Panthers, in which he completed 57.1% of his passes, but tallied 301 yards and 3 touchdowns to 1 interception in the eventual 34-31 victory.
Stafford also cemented his place as the Rams’ top postseason passer in multiple categories.
“That’s [nine emoji] for you,” the Rams captioned a post that noted Stafford is the leader in completions, passing yards, and touchdowns in the franchise’s postseason history.
Rams PR noted in a separate post that Stafford “has passed for 300+ yards in 6-of-7 career playoff road games, the most in NFL history. He’s also passed for 300+ yards in four consecutive postseason games, surpassing Tom Brady and Drew Brees for the longest streak in NFL history.”
Stafford led the NFL in passing yards and touchdown throws during the regular season. He also reclaimed his perch as the betting favorite to win MVP, per Vegas Insider. However, Stafford and the Rams’ ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl.
He is one of two former No. 1 picks at QB still playing this postseason.
The other is Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, whom Chicago head coach Ben Johnson told to study Stafford during the offseason and has even adopted the Rams QB’s in-huddle stance.
Stafford is one of two Pro Bowlers in the remaining field. He is also the only quarterback left in the playoffs who has won a Super Bowl. Whether or not all of that translates on Sunday must play out on the field.
Rams Offense Gets Vote of Confidence
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams on the field after facing the Detroit Lions.
Stafford and the Rams boasted the NFL’s top-ranked passing attack and offense in both scoring and overall counts.
Former NFL QB Alex Smith sees the Rams’ “juggernaut” offense scoring a lot this week.
“Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay might hang 50 [points] on the Bears this weekend, right? Barring a blizzard, right, they’re–or 40 [points]–they’re going to put up a lot of points on that defense,” Smith told Kay Adams on “Up & Adams” on January 13.
“A lot of this is matchups, right? And so, I think we saw that Carolina defense give them some problems a few weeks ago. Defense is talented. Maybe, the two best corners …There is no Mike Jackson. Have you seen the Chicago defense? It is not this Carolina defense, I will tell you that. And I think you’re going to see a great mix of run and pass.”
Smith pointed to the Bears’ 42-38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. He said it is the “exact same system.” Stafford and Johnson’s old team, the Detroit Lions, scored 52 in Week 2.
Smith predicted that weather is the only potential limiting factor offensively.
They are facing a Bears defense that led the league in interceptions. It also ranked 22nd against the pass, 23rd in scoring, and 29th overall. However, the Bears’ offense (sixth overall and ninth in scoring) is also dangerous, which could mean a shootout for Stafford and the Rams.
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