Rams teammates know Matthew Stafford will be the calm amid the noise in Seattle
No matter the circumstances – cold, snow, rain, wind, noise – Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is cool, calm and collected.
But the 17th year pro is not at peace.
Especially in the group. Especially at delirious Lumen Field in Seattle.
“He screams,” tight end Davis Allen said Wednesday with a laugh. “He doesn’t speak normally, that’s for sure… He does a great job making sure guys are where they need to be.”
Since joining the Rams in 2021, Stafford is 3-1 at Lumen Field, where the Rams will face the Seahawks on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.
When asked how he felt about playing in Seattle, Stafford immediately responded to all of the Rams’ performances.
A Thursday night win in 2021. Out in 2022 due to injury. A touchdown pass to win in overtime in 2024 and an overtime loss this season in Week 16.
“It’s always a great environment,” Stafford said.
“I think it provides calm in the midst of some of these chaotic moments,” coach Sean McVay said of Matthew Stafford.
(John Froschauer / Associated Press)
Stafford, 37, aims to continue what has been an MVP-level season with a win that would give him a chance at a second Super Bowl title.
Two weeks ago, Stafford threw a game-winning touchdown catch in a wild-card victory over the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last Sunday, he drove a game-winning field goal in overtime to beat the Chicago Bears in Chicago.
Stafford, who suffered a sprained right index finger against the Panthers, was not at his best for most of the game against the Bears.
On a cold, snowy and windy night at Soldier Field, Stafford completed just 20 of 42 passes for 258 yards, with no touchdowns.
His 47.6% completion percentage was the lowest of his 12-game playoff career, and the lowest since a 48.3% performance in a 2023 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at SoFi Stadium.
But Stafford should bounce back against the Seahawks.
In four games at Lumen Field, he passed for 1,454 yards and six touchdowns, with two interceptions.
On December 18, he completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns in a 38–37 overtime loss.
The Rams had the ball in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get any closer to the basket.
In overtime, Stafford connected with receiver Puka Nacua for a 41-yard touchdown pass. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold responded with a touchdown pass, then converted a two-point conversion pass for the win.
“We didn’t play up to our standard in some areas and we had some chances to finish this game,” Stafford said. “But I didn’t.”
The Rams and Stafford sealed the deal in their divisional round win over the Bears.
As he did in the 2021 playoffs — when he engineered a 42-second game-winning drive against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Stafford came through in the divisional round when the Rams needed him most.
The Rams had the ball late in the fourth quarter, but were forced to punt — and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sent the game into overtime with a spectacular touchdown pass.
In overtime, after Rams safety Kam Curl intercepted a pass, Stafford completed passes to tight end Colby Parkinson and receivers Davante Adams and Nacua on a drive that ended with a game-winning 42-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis, putting the Rams in the NFC championship game for the third time under coach Sean McVay.
The top-seeded Seahawks are coming off a 41-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a dominant performance that started with a kickoff return for a touchdown and didn’t give up a single phase.
Matthew Stafford lines up at center against the Carolina Panthers in a wild card playoff game this month.
(Brian Westerholt/Associated Press)
McVay is confident Stafford will once again take care of the environment at Lumen Field.
“Just that command, that confidence, that poise, that ability to love those pressure-filled moments,” McVay said. “I think it provides calm in the midst of some of these chaotic moments, and I think that resonates with his teammates, and it creates a belief that’s not exclusive to the offense.
“It’s our entire football team, including the coaching staff.”
Center Coleman Shelton said that because of the noise at Lumen Field, players would lower their heads to hear Stafford.
“You can hear the call as you go down,” he said.
The plays are delivered by a quarterback who “always delivers,” Shelton said.
“The harsher the environment,” he said, “the more it seems to flourish.” »
