Matthew Stafford has been asked endlessly about his lack of playoff success after losing his first three playoff games while with the Lions. But now as a member of the Rams, Stafford is 3-0 in the playoffs and has his team on the doorstep of a Super Bowl ring.
His arm talent, intelligence and ability to take control of a game are all reasons the Rams traded for Stafford last January, immediately becoming Super Bowl contenders again. Sean McVay can’t stop talking highly about his quarterback, both as a passer and as a person.
After the Rams’ 20-17 win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, McVay was asked if this is why the Rams acquired him from the Lions. After rhetorically asking what the reporter thinks, McVay rattled off everything he loves about Stafford.
“What do you think the answer to that question is? Here’s what I would say: We went out and got him because we thought it was a chance to be able to get a great player of his magnitude. Those things don’t come around often,” McVay said. “What he’s done, he’s elevated everybody around him. He’s made me a better coach. He’s made his teammates better. He’s such a great person. I think you guys know from getting a chance to interact with him. If you don’t root for this guy, something’s wrong with you. He’s a great competitor. We’ve seen that, really, throughout the season. But I think it’s really been on display these last couple weeks. We talk about competitive greatness all the time. Being your best when your best was required. He embodied competitive greatness today. Love Matthew Stafford.”
This postseason, Stafford has six touchdown passes, two rushing scores and only one interception. He’s played some of his best football of the season in these postseason games, leading two game-winning drives in the last two weeks.
His 44-yard bomb to Cooper Kupp in the divisional round against the Buccaneers saved the Rams from an embarrassing collapse, and his 25-yard dart to Kupp on third-and-3 in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win set up Matt Gay’s game-winning field goal.
It’s plays like those that prove the Rams were right to trade three draft picks and Jared Goff for Stafford, despite his lack of postseason success in Detroit. It’s clear he wasn’t the problem after all.
