Matthew Stafford has always been an aggressive quarterback that tends to push the ball down the field often, and that hasn’t changed since he joined the Los Angeles Rams. Ahead of the 2023 season, The 33rd Team’s Andy Benoit believes that Stafford is the sixth-best deep thrower in the NFL.
The five quarterbacks ahead of Stafford are Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow. Meanwhile, the three quarterbacks Stafford edged out on the list were Geno Smith, Russell Wilson, and Jalen Hurts.
Time will tell if the 35-year-old Matthew Stafford’s injury woes have taken a permanent toll. If they haven’t, then we’re talking about a quarterback who led his team to a Super Bowl title in part by leading the league in passing yards on 20-plus-yard attempts two years ago.
Due to a hobbled offensive line and injuries he endured, Stafford averaged only 6.7 intended air yards per attempt in 2022, which was tied for the third-fewest in the NFL (according to Next Gen Stats). In his debut season with the Rams in 2021, Stafford tallied 8.5 intended air yards per attempt, placing him eighth in the NFL.
Even during Stafford’s tenure with the Detroit Lions, he only had one season where he averaged fewer than 7.1 yards per attempt from 2011 to 2020. Having Calvin Johnson to target in the passing game certainly makes it easier to use the deep part of the field, but Stafford has always had one of the strongest arms in the league.
The ability to create chunk plays through the air is crucial in today’s NFL, especially with defenses attempting to keep up with the dynamic offenses around the league. If Stafford has a cleaner bill of health than last season for the Rams, he can still air the ball down the field with the best of them in 2023.
