Matthew

Stafford

Stafford made quick work of a low-energy Arizona defense that was run over on the ground to the tune of 249 rushing yards. Stafford did whatever he wanted against the Cardinals, averaging 9.1 yards per attempt, taking no sacks, and facing only three pressures. It was Stafford’s 11th game of the season with multiple touchdown throws. He now has a league-leading 35 passing scores in a Rams offense that has remained pass-heavy in the red zone. Stafford will look to rack up a few more touchdowns in Week 15 against his former team, the Lions, who have struggled against the pass in recent weeks.

A touchdown pass to Davante Adams gave the Rams an early lead over the Panthers, but Stafford would follow up that scoring drive with interceptions on back-to-back series, with the second being returned 48 yards for a touchdown. The Rams’ signal caller would eventually settle in to lead two scoring drives in the second quarter, one which ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Adams, but Stafford’s mistakes proved too costly in this one. Stafford’s first interception, which came on a tipped pass at the line, stalled a drive that likely would have resulted in at least three points, and his final turnover of the game came on a strip sack at the Panthers’ 31-yard with the Rams needing a field goal to tie it. In a game the Rams lost by three, Stafford’s turnovers are hard to ignore, but the Rams defense came up short on several key downs as well. Stafford and company will look to get back on track in Week 14 against the Cardinals, where he will remain on the QB1 line.

Stafford and the Rams came out with guns blazing while finding the end zone on each of their first three possessions, a lead that would be padded by a pick-six in the first quarter. The veteran signal caller came one completion shy of matching a career best for consecutive completions to start the game while finding Davante Adams twice in the end zone on fades from the red zone, extending his lead in passing touchdowns in the process. The win pushes the Rams to 9-2, and they now find themselves alone atop the NFC heading into Thanksgiving. It has also now been nine games since Stafford’s last interception, passing for 25 touchdowns in that span since his last pick. Winners of six in a row, the Rams await the surging Panthers in Week 13.

Stafford’s 130 yards was by far the fewest he’s had in a game this season. His two touchdowns give him eight multi-TD games in 2025 as the head of the ultra-efficient Rams offense. Amazingly, Stafford hasn’t thrown a single pick since Week 3 against the Eagles. He struggled against the Seahawks’ front seven in this one, missing a few throws he normally makes in Sean McVay’s offense. Stafford’s consistency and his talented wide receive duo gives him QB1 upside every week. That includes Week 12 against the Bucs in what could be a high-scoring affair.

Stafford fired a no-look score to Colby Parkinson to really cap things off in this one, but the Rams were never seriously threatened on offense. Over his past six games, Stafford has 20 touchdowns and zero interceptions, numbers some might call “good.” The Rams’ defense has not always provided big asks this year, and it looked like they might just script the 49ers out of this at 21-0, but the Rams had to put the foot down once it hit 21-14. Stafford looks like an MVP candidate. The Seahawks look like the best team in the NFL. We’ll create some real narratives in Week 11, where Stafford is a mid-range QB1 for fantasy purposes.

Stafford avoided throwing an incompletion until the Rams’ second drive. Aside from a handful of plays in which Saints EDGE Chase Young beat his blocker, Stafford carved up the Saints’ defense from comfortable pockets. Rams head coach Sean McVay kept Saints defenders guessing with near-constant play action and motion usage, and he can be expected to do so again against a 49ers defense that may have lost yet another pass rusher, EDGE Mykel Williams (knee), to injury. He will be a QB1 against them.

Stafford’s third of three passing scores to Davante Adams gave him the record for touchdown passes in an international game. It was also the third-fewest yards for a five-touchdown outing in the modern era, though that’s largely a testament to how efficient he was. With the benefit of an early game, Stafford now leads the league in passing touchdowns. He also leads the league in yardage and didn’t even need the London game to get there. The Rams now get a week of rest before taking on the Saints in Week 9. With Puka Nacua expected to be back, Stafford will push for a QB1 ranking for his next outing.

Playing in windy conditions against a home underdog missing its starting quarterback, Stafford lost Puka Nacua to a second quarter ankle injury. Although Nacua briefly returned in the second half, it all added up to Stafford’s worst box score of the year. Typically a “film all star,” Stafford was throwing a bad ball, perhaps because of the wind. Nacua and Tutu Atwell’s absences undoubtedly did not help. It was a disappointing day versus an injury-ruined defense, one that got even more so on Sunday. Stafford was probably bound for this kind of outing at some point, while Nacua is highly questionable for next Sunday’s London road trip to face the Jaguars. Nacua’s status will affect Stafford’s QB2 ranking, but either way, he will not be in the top 12.

Making his 227th start, Stafford’s 389 yards ended up being the 13th most of his career. The fact that those numbers came in a loss was the result of two back-breaking fumbles by the Rams’ running backs, and Stafford’s own slow start. Inaccurate in the first half, he entered the break with only 109 yards. He obviously made up for it and then some in the final two-plus quarters, but the Rams couldn’t get over the hump vs. a 49ers team starting second and third-stringers at seemingly every other position. Extremely frustrating, though Stafford continues to be largely dazzling after missing the majority of training camp with a back injury. He now gets his first extended break of the season, rejoining the fray in 10 days for a Ravens road trip where he may or may not be trading blows with Lamar Jackson (hamstring).

Stafford was excellent Sunday, and outdueled Danny Dimes at the end of the game. The 37-year-old found Puka Nacua for 170 yards and one of his three scores, but the biggest play was an 88-yard dart to Tutu Atwell on a busted coverage from the Colts with 1:33 left in the game. Stafford has thrown for multiple scores in his last three games, and was able to avoid turning the football over. He’ll take on the 49ers on TNF in what presents as a borderline QB1 spot given San Francisco’s banged up defense.