Matthew Stafford hasn’t been playing his best football recently, but he’s one win away from becoming the 25th starting quarterback in NFL history to reach a second Super Bowl. Would redeeming the Rams’ loss to the Seahawks a month ago and reaching the Super Bowl put any debate to rest on Stafford’s place in the Hall of Fame?
Just a year ago, Jalen Hurts became the 24th QB to reach his second career Super Bowl with the last two being Patrick Mahomes in 2020 and Russell Wilson in 2014. Now Stafford could reach his second Super Bowl in less than 5 years.
The probable MVP, Stafford had a career-high 46 touchdown passes in 2025.
Mahomes is the last regular season MVP to win the Super Bowl (2022) and the most recent before him was Kurt Warner in 1999. Anyone who has done that has made the Hall of Fame (Warner, Emmitt Smith, Bart Starr, Steve Young, Joe Montana, and Terry Bradshaw), with the exception of Mahomes, who is already a lock.
Should an MVP and a second Super Bowl guarantee Stafford as a first ballot entrant?
Bomani Jones is trying to fan the flames this week by saying that Stafford shouldn’t be allowed in the Hall of Fame at all if he fails to win the Super Bowl:
If the Rams win the next two games, Stafford will become the 14th QB to win two Super Bowls.
The last three to do it are Mahomes, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning.
But Stafford hasn’t been that hot recently.
Although he is still accumulating touchdowns, Stafford’s completion rate has taken a nose dive:
- Last 8 games of regular season: 62.7% completions, 6 INTs, 2 fumbles
- Playoffs: 52% completions, 1 INT, 2 fumbles
Stafford is just 44-of-84 on passes in two playoff games. That may have a lot to do with some drops, pass protection, weather conditions, and his finger. But whatever the cause may be, Stafford’s effectiveness hasn’t been as beneficial to the Rams as it was in the first nine games of 2025, when he had 67% completions, 25 TD, 2 INT and a passer rating of 114.8.
Stafford also hasn’t completed 60% of his pass attempts in any of his four career starts against a Mike Macdonald defense.
To now face the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl on the line, Stafford can put the past behind him and redeem whatever questions there are about L.A.’s passing offense as a whole in the last few games.
And if he does that, keeping a two-time Super Bowl QB with an MVP out of the Hall of Fame would be more controversial than putting Stafford in.
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