It didn’t take Sean McVay very long to figure out Matthew Stafford’s strengths within the Rams offense last season. The two got off to a good start right away and despite Stafford leading the league in interceptions, it was a very successful first year together in Los Angeles.
One way McVay capitalized on Stafford’s skill set was with a ton of three-step drops. Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire ranked Stafford as the best quarterback in football on three-step drops, noting his 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions on such plays (110.1 passer rating).
Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, and Joe Burrow all had higher passer ratings than Stafford did with three-stop drops, but none of those quarterbacks were able to match Stafford’s impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio. Stafford as always had his reckless moments, but the three-step game seemed to bring out the best in him. Perhaps it’s that the longer Stafford has to drop back, the more time he has to get “creative,” both to his benefit and to his detriment.
