Random Ramsdom: Is Matthew Stafford still underrated?
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CliffJackson
For 12 long years, Matthew Stafford was the quarterback of the Detroit Lions, one of the most depressing franchises in all of sports. Despite his incredible abilities, he was only a part of two winning seasons over the span of those 12 years, with an overall record of 74-90-1. There was a narrative being built that Stafford may have more to do with the losing than people were leading on, and he was quite simply just a ‘loser’.
However, following a blockbuster trade back in early 2021, Stafford would finally have an opportunity to play for a different franchise, the Los Angeles Rams. In his first season with the team, Stafford proved that he is indeed a ‘winner’ by finishing with a 12-5 record, winning the NFC West, winning the NFC Championship, and then winning the Super Bowl. Pretty solid for a first season with a new franchise
NFL: Super Bowl LVI-Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sportsnone
Even though Stafford accomplished so much in his initial season with the Rams, one would be hard pressed to find someone who considers Stafford to be a top 5 quarterback in the NFL. In my opinion, Matthew Stafford is on the level of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in terms of ability at this exact point in time, which makes him easily a top 3-5 quarterback in my eyes. Nonetheless, people will continue to rank players such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and even Russell Wilson over Stafford, which is insanity if you were to ask myself. The only thing they can do better is use their legs to extend plays, which has been proven to increase the likelihood of injury to the most important position on the offense.
Matthew Stafford is a top 3 quarterback in this league, in my opinion, and I can honestly say I would not want anyone else to be running this Rams offense. The 17 interceptions are not as big of an issue to me due to his ability to move on immediately, not letting bad plays impact the next play. Despite those turnovers, STafford still had a 102.9 passer rating along with 41 passing touchdowns (two behind Brady’s league leading 43), ridiculous numbers in just year one. Expect Stafford to build on last season as he gets even more comfortable in the offense, which is scary for the rest of the NFL.
