The Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t have their sharpest game in Week 13 against the Carolina Panthers. While Stafford still managed to make some impressive throws, he turned the ball over three times in the loss. Following the loss, Stafford went from leading the MVP odds to falling behind Drake Maye. The big question was always going to be how Stafford responded. With Maye on a bye week and Stafford playing the Arizona Cardinals, it looked like a good opportunity for Stafford to bounce back.
To say Stafford bounced back would be an understatement. The Rams quarterback completed over 70 percent of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns and zero interceptions for the second time in three weeks. He has thrown three touchdowns and zero interceptions seven times this season. Only Tom Brady in 2007, Peyton Manning in 2013, and Aaron Rodgers in 2016 have had more. Brady and Manning won MVP while Rodgers lost to Matt Ryan. He is also the third quarterback all-time with at least 35 touchdowns and five or fewer interceptions. The other two are Tom Brady in 2007 and Aaron Rodgers in 2014 and 2020. Both won MVP.
Stafford was simply on another level against the Cardinals. Stafford had six big-time throws in Week 14 which is a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window. His 18.2 percent big-time throw rate was nearly four percent higher than the next quarterback. Stafford did what he had to do in Week 14. The Rams wide receivers had an average separation of 3.1 yards on targeted throws. That was tied for the sixth-lowest of the week. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, 16.1 percent of Stafford’s throws were into tight windows.
The Rams quarterback had a few misses on the opening drive, but after that, he was nearly flawless. Stafford and Nacua seemingly had a challenge of, ‘how can we make the next completion look cooler.’ This was the best the Stafford-Nacua connection has looked since the Rams wide receiver returned to the lineup healthy.
While Stafford had a good game against the Cardinals to re-take the lead in the MVP race, it’s how he performs over the next two weeks that will decide his fate. On Sunday, Stafford will play his old team in the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. It will be the first time since 2021 that the Rams have played the Lions in Los Angeles. The following week, the Rams will play the Seattle Seahawks in primetime.
If the Rams win both of those games and Matthew Stafford plays a large role in doing so, it will be difficult for any player to surpass Stafford. Those wins would essentially lock up the number one seed for the Rams which would be huge in Stafford winning the MVP.
Rams move Desjuan Johnson to the edge
Throughout his career, Desjuan Johnson has primarily been a rotational defensive tackle. However, because of his lack of size and the depth at the position, it has been difficult to get him consistent playing time. Johnson has typically been a star in the preseason, but hadn’t played a defensive snap since Week 3. He’s only ever played 16.7 percent of defensive snaps throughout his entire career. A majority of his snaps have come in Week 18 games in which the Rams were playing their backups.
The Rams lack size on the edge behind Jared Verse and Byron Young which hurts their rotation and flexibility on early downs. Brennan Jackson was cut before the season while Nick Hampton is just 236 pounds. Josaiah Stewart is also sub-250 pounds. While that gives the Rams some speed on the edge, they lack true size. Against the Cardinals, the Rams used more Larrell Murchison on the defensive line and then had Johnson lining up as an edge rusher. Johnson had six pressures to go with a 20 percent stop rate against the run. This is something to watch going forward.
Rams offensive line deserves credit
The run game for the Rams has deservedly gotten a lot of credit this week. Blake Corum and Kyren Williams are the first Rams running back duo to combine for over 200 yards since CJ Anderson and Todd Gurley. Corum’s 48-yard touchdown was the longest for a Rams running back since Gurley in 2017.
However, it all starts with the offensive line. Among all offensive linemen this season with at least 140 run-blocking snaps, the Rams have four players that rank inside the top-15 and all five are inside the top-30. No other team has more than two. The 2025 Rams have a rushing success rate of 52.3 percent which is only lower than the 2018 Rams at 52.5 percent. This Rams offensive line has 5.6 adjusted line yards via FTN fantasy which credits the offensive line for the yards gained on rushing plays. It’s the most since the 2018 Rams who had 5.49. This offensive line is dominant in the run game.
Poona Ford appreciation post
Poona Ford was very clearly missed by the Rams defense last week and therefore an appreciation post is needed. The Carolina Panthers ran over the Rams defense in Week 13. With Ford in the mix against the Cardinals, it was back to what we’ve been accustomed to seeing this season. What Ford brings to the Rams defense on a weekly basis is extremely valuable to what they do. His gap penetration makes the linebackers behind him look better.
Given what the Panthers did to the Rams last week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see other teams try to beat them on the ground. That will especially be the case this week against the Lions. The big difference will be Ford in the middle of the defensive line.
