Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is in the midst of the best season of his career and a big reason for that has been his ability to take care of the ball.
That changed in Week 17, however, as Stafford threw three interceptions, including a pick-six as the Rams lost to the Atlanta Falcons on the road as a result.
Stafford finished the game completing 22-of-38 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, bringing the Rams back from down 21 to tie it in the fourth quarter before Atlanta kicked a field goal to win.
In a season where Stafford has been so on point though, he wasn’t in this one. His three turnovers were a big reason the Rams were trailing as much as they were, and he also uncharacteristically missed some throws that would have helped bring them back.
After the loss, Stafford had no issue calling himself out for his play, via ESPN:
“It boils down to execution every week, right?” Stafford said. “Either you execute and make the throws or you don’t. And I didn’t do that tonight, so it hurt us and we weren’t able to overcome it.”
It is worth noting that the loss doesn’t completely fall on Stafford. The team’s defense struggled greatly to stop the run, which allowed Atlanta to build the lead in the first half.
Additionally, the Rams were missing three starters on the offensive line, including left tackle Alaric Jackson. That proved costly in both the run and pass games as backup left tackle DJ Humphries struggled and also committed some costly penalties that wiped out big plays.
Regardless, it is just one loss for the Rams, albeit a concerning one this late in the season. Stafford and the Rams still have everything in front of them though, and the hope is that their offensive line and Davante Adams will all be back in time for the playoffs.
Sean McVay says Rams starters will play in Week 18
The Rams don’t have a lot to play for in Week 18 as they can’t win the division and have already clinched a playoff spot. In these situations, McVay has typically rested Stafford and key starters, but that will not be the case against the Arizona Cardinals.
“Oh, we’re playing. They’re playing,” head coach Sean McVay said after the team’s loss to the Falcons.
When asked if the Rams’ poor stretch had anything to do with his decision, McVay said he always envisioned the starters playing against the Cardinals.
“They were going to play anyways,” McVay said. “We need to play. We need to play better football. I don’t know what the consequences are as far as those different types of things, but we’ve got to play better.”
