The Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9 behind another dominant performance from Matthew Stafford.
The veteran quarterback completed 24 of 36 passes for 280 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He became the first player in NFL history to throw for at least four touchdowns and no interceptions in three consecutive games.
Stafford also became the ninth quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 400 touchdowns. He reached the mark with a pass to Davis Allen in the second.
Davante Adams also caught a touchdown in the game and said that Stafford deserves to be in the conversation for the NFL MVP Award, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN:
“It’s looked like MVP play to me all year, to be honest,” Adams said. “I mean, even certain games … the pick he threw against Tennessee and the way he bounced back after that; that’s how an MVP plays to me. Just to rally a team and continue to lead at a high level after things don’t go your way, I think that’s what really shows what an MVP is about.”
Puka Nacua, who also found the end zone against the 49ers, said Stafford is having one of the greatest stretches for a quarterback in recent memory:
“I feel like when you’re on a heater, you don’t touch whatever he is doing,” Nacua said. “I’m like, you can do whatever. You can walk on water right now. So, I’m like, I just try to stay out of his way as best as I can and when he communicates, I listen.”
Stafford is aware of the MVP talk but said his focus remains on helping the Rams win football games:
Stafford said he doesn’t “pay too much attention” to conversations about him being in the MVP race.
“I’m trying to just continue to find ways to be a good football player for this team, lead this team, and try to get us in the end zone as much as I can, do my job as best I can,” Stafford said.
Over his last six games, Stafford has led the Rams to a 5-1 record while throwing for 20 touchdowns and no interceptions. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to post those numbers over a six-game span.
If Stafford keeps playing at his current pace, he will have an excellent chance to win the MVP award for the first time in his 17-year career. More importantly, Stafford should have the Rams in a good spot to win another Super Bowl title.
Bill Belichick compares Rams’ Matthew Stafford to Tom Brady
During a recent episode of SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go!” podcast, legendary head coach Bill Belichick compared Stafford to arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady due to his improved level of play at an older age.
