This was not the repetitive scene the Los Angeles Rams clearly had in mind involving their lead star of their offensive machine Matthew Stafford.
The 6-foot-3 Texas gunslinger not so much getting out-dueled three times already in 2022, but dropping back then being dropped to the ground…21 times through five games.
And the latest high pressure situation involving the Super Bowl 56 winner witnessed the Dallas Cowboys snatching five sacks as the Rams fell 22-10 on Sunday, October 9.
But it’s not the number of times Stafford is getting planted to the ground that’s most startling. One stat revealed what happened to Stafford nearly 50% of the time in the loss to the Cowboys.
New Season High for Stafford & Rams Made
The Rams front line, this time dealing with Micah Parsons and former NFC West Super Bowl winning coordinator Dan Quinn, surrendered this season high: 45.8%.
That number per TruMedia represents the number of times the Cowboys brought pressure to Stafford and the Rams.
“That’s a season-high, and second only in the McVay/Stafford era to a Week 18 loss in 2021,” tweeted out Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.
It’s a stat that sparked a conversation among Ram fans, with one believing that it’s time for general manager Les Snead to re-tweak some things in the roster room.
“Snead has to make a move asap for line help. This is gonna be a weekly occurrence with an O-line bandaged together with third stringers,” one fan posted.
Others were astonished by that high number.
“Bruuuuhh…damn near 50% of the time?” another fan responded, accompanied with four crying emojis.
Somehow, Stafford still managed to deliver a 308-yard passing outing amid the heat Quinn sent out inside SoFi Stadium — and with another missing element as pointed out by Jake Ellenbogen of Downtown Rams.
“The fact Matthew Stafford threw 300+ under these conditions is beyond me. Especially when they had the better RB accumulate 0 carries and had no run game to speak of,” Ellenbogen posted.
Still, there were blunt Ram fans when looking at the 45.8% number.
“Wow….that’s not a stat that will get you many wins,” said one fan.
Another fan who said he attended the Sunday game referred the Rams’ 2022 offense as “pedestrian” plus shared what he saw from his seat.
“The offense is so pedestrian. Was at the game and Dallas played 1 safety high (and not very deep) and everyone else was up tight. Zero fear of any speed getting deep with [Allen] Robinson and Skow [Ben Skowronek]. Skow as a starting WR in the NFL is a travesty,” the fan named Mike Riddlesperger shared.
Stafford is trying to operate an offense with the Rams rolling with their third string center in Jeremiah Kolone and original starter David Edward re-injuring his head late in the game (was in concussion protocol earlier in 2022). Opposing defenses that feature All-Pro rushers like the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and now the Cowboys have taken advantage…and have disrupted action sequences for Stafford and an offense that’s been built on explosion.
.@MicahhParsons11 gets home to help the defense get off the field! 💪
McVay’s Reaction
Stafford’s head coach Sean McVay is another working with an offensive line with new starters each game.
“Just some adversity we’re facing right now as a football team,” McVay told reporters following the loss. “You find out a lot about people when you go through that. I’m going to continue to stand up here and do the best I can for this team. It’s not good enough right now. I’ll never pretend that it is. But there are guys that are continuing to compete to the best of their ability and we got to get everybody [else] doing that.”
McVay said he believes Stafford is competing and doing “everything in his power for this team.” But then came this admission he shared to reporters:
“He needs some help,” McVay said, followed by “we’ve got to be able to help him.”
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Startling Stat Involving the Rams’ Matthew Stafford Unveiled