After a horrid 1-4 start to the season, the Los Angeles Rams have won its third consecutive game and currently sit second in the NFC West standings with a 4-4 record (2-1 division).
The rejuvenated Rams have been led by its Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford. However, it’s been a tale of two halves through the season’s first eight games for the 36-year-old veteran.
Stafford started the season throwing for 998 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Since then, over his past four games, Stafford has thrown for 991 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions all while completing nearly 64 percent of his pass attempts.
More specifically, the Pro Bowl quarterback has returned to his elite self following his walk-off performance Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
In the overtime win, Matthew Stafford threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns as he moved to 5-0 against the Seahawks with the Rams (6-3 in his career). It was also the first time this season that Stafford has thrown for at least two touchdowns in consecutive games and it was his 110th time throwing for two-plus touchdowns in his career.
Matthew Stafford Is A Top QB In The NFL
Some of his success can be credited to the return of his two star-studded receivers — Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
Matthew Stafford has been a completely different player when he has his reliable weapons on the outside.
Since joining the Rams in 2021, Stafford has played 40 of his 49 games with Kupp in the lineup. In those 40 games, Stafford has a passer rating of 97.4 with 10,660 yards (266.5 per game), 77 touchdowns (1.9 per game), and 34 interceptions.
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However, in the nine games without Kupp, Stafford has only managed a passer rating of 82.0 with 2,247 yards (249.7 yards per game), seven touchdowns (0.8 per game), and eight interceptions.
Though the recipe for success in Los Angeles remains evident – having Stafford and Kupp on the field together — football remains a three-layer game and being in phase through all three layers for the entirety of the season helps win championships.