Matthew Stafford proved to be exactly what the Los Angeles Rams needed to get over the hump as he led a clutch fourth quarter drive to lead them to a victory in Super Bowl LVI.
Stafford historically has a knack for making plays in pivotal situations, and he showed that on the biggest stage when he made throw after throw to give the Rams their first Vince Lombardi Trophy in Los Angeles. What made his fourth quarter even more impressive was that he was without Odell Beckham Jr., who went down with a knee injury in the first half and was ruled out.
Beckham’s injury ended up being an ACL tear and although he is expected to make a full recovery, he has yet to be signed in free agency. Despite that, Stafford revealed he has been checking in on the receiver, via ESPN:
“I’ve been in contact with him, both checking on his knee, his new addition to his family, and just letting him know that we’d love to still have him. It was an unbelievable blessing to get the chance to play with a talented player like that and honestly, such a great teammate. He was awesome from the second he stepped into our facility, which was a tough situation to learn as much as he had to learn as quickly as he did. It was really impressive to watch him go out there and do his thing and hopefully we get some more time together.”
The Rams and Beckham have expressed interest in extending their partnership, but the contract negotiations must be tricky because he is set to miss at least half of the 2022 season. Los Angeles also seemed to sign his replacement in Allen Robinson, though there is no reason why he and Beckham could not fit together.
Stafford and Beckham developed chemistry down the stretch last season, and it would be a shame to see it cut so short. Hopefully Beckham is back in Los Angeles to help them defend their Super Bowl crown.
