Getty Matthew Stafford throws against the rush during the Rams' 37-20 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday, October 3.
Matthew Stafford didn’t mince words, nor did he shy away from unleashing criticism following his Los Angeles Rams getting dismantled by the Arizona Cardinals 37-20 in a battle of NFC West unbeatens on Sunday, October 3.
The opprobrium Stafford mentioned to the L.A. media after his 280-yard, two touchdown day? The way he performed.
Stafford, 77-90-1 in his NFL career but 3-0 as an L.A. Ram, suffered his first-ever defeat in the Rams uniform and in front of a SoFi Stadium crowd of 70,003 attendees with the reverberating “Whose House? Rams House!” chants…which eventually faded in sound like listening to the final five seconds of a song on Spotify once the Cards put the game away.
Sure, Stafford was 20 yards away from another 300-yard day. And he threw multiple touchdowns. But he spent the after hours of the 17-point divisional beatdown he and the Rams received by getting candid about what could’ve been…and what should’ve been.
‘It was Just on me’
The Cardinals were relentless with their field version of the red sea.
The defense made Stafford feel his own home grass on five QB hits. They forced him to run on the same field with another electric runner named Kyler Murray on the opposite sideline. The Cards gave up an early 22-yarder to Van Jefferson, but adjusted and saw Stafford underthrow on his deep ball attempts and potential six-point plays.
And Stafford pointed the finger at the one responsible for throwing those balls.
“No, it wasn’t their defense. It was just on me,” Stafford explained to reporters. And then he got critical of his play, saying “I got to make those throws. It’s pretty plain and simple to be honest with you.”
The Notable Misses
The Rams and perhaps Stafford himself were getting too spoiled with seeing big plays erupt at the hardened $5.5 billion dollar venue in Inglewood. After all, the triplets of Jefferson, Cooper Kupp and DeSean Jackson all ignited fireworks in the form of their 67, 56 and 75-yard touchdowns at home. Those plays, though, went non-existent in this divisional showdown.
Sure, Kupp hauled this one in against three Cardinals.
.@CooperKupp in traffic, no problem! 💪
But that catch and the Jefferson first quarter strike were the only long range dynamics the Rams offense mustered.
And, when Stafford tried to recreate the deep ball magic he manifested with Jackson in the emotional win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this happened involving Bryon Murphy Jr.:
Matthew Stafford went deep to Desean Jackson but this time he isn’t facing the #Bucs defense so he gets picked off.
Byron Murphy, who won player of the week last week, gets Stafford easily.
Murphy now has 3 INTs this season.
“Murphy (Jr.) did a nice job of playing it, kind of top down,” Stafford detailed. “You know, there’s a throw out there that gets completed. The one I picked to try and throw, you know, wasn’t the right one. He did a nice job of making a play. I just got to find the right throw there and get it to him.”
There were two more missed TD’s underneath the scoreboard halo that’s above the field.
One: Kupp in a prominent position for six, but the ball fell behind the league’s leader in receiving yardage. Two: The attempt to tight end Tyler Higbee on 4th down and goal where “Big Rig Higs” felt the ball bounce out of his hands.
On the Kupp misfire: “He ran a great route. I tried to hold the safety in the middle of the field and by the time I peeked back, I felt like he was kind of stumbling out of his route a little bit. So I threw it to a spot where I’m sitting there going, ‘Man, I wish I would have just…’ I think right as I let it go, he probably gains his momentum again and he’s hauling wide open down the field. So I got to give him opportunities.”
And on the botched end zone TD attempt: “I think of the early third down to (Tyler) Higbee down the sideline early in the game. Just give him a chance, you know? Don’t leave that one where no one can catch it.”
The Benefit of Thursday
This loss brought out the staunch, self-evaluator side of Stafford, with him again reiterating his performance by saying “I think I just didn’t make enough plays. I think as a team, we probably weren’t good enough, if you look at the whole grand scheme of things, just going out there every single play and executing it. But, you know, the person with the biggest hand in that is probably me, you know? I can go out there and play better.”
Now, the Rams have only three days to prepare for their next opponent: The team that won last year’s division, but the same team they eliminated early in the playoffs: Seattle.
Stafford had his first underwhelming game as a Ram and it led to critics both on social media and from No. 9. But he’s amped up about Thursday Night Football. Why?
“I won’t have to sit and think about this one too long,” Stafford said.
But, “it starts with me,” he says. Adding “I can give those guys better chances, better opportunities.”