The Los Angeles Rams are coming off of a tough season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, but they’ll be one of the top threats in the NFL this season.
The Rams are coming off of a sluggish season opener against the 49ers, a 27-7 loss in which Los Angeles scored their least amount of points in the Matthew Stafford era. Stafford — who is the NFL’s reigning MVP — struggled drastically, throwing just 155 passing yards with no touchdowns and one interception for a 61.2 passer rating.
To put things in perspective, Stafford threw a touchdown pass in every regular season game he played in last year.
Byron Young, who is one of the Rams’ reigning Pro Bowlers, outlined that one of Stafford’s best traits is that he’s the “same guy” no matter whether they win or lose.
“I tell everybody he’s the same guy no matter what moment, win, lose, draw like he’s always the same guy,” said Young prior to the Rams opening the 2026 season. “You know he’s not too big for the moment. He don’t think he’s better than nobody. He doesn’t act like he’s better than anybody. He treats everybody the same in the facility, he treats you like family, having a little conversation with you around the facility, checking up on you.”
Byron Young Compliments Matthew Stafford for Being ‘Humble’
Young continued to praise Stafford for being “humble” as one of the NFL’s top stars.
“I think that’s what makes him who he is,” Young said of Stafford. “Being a humble guy, a humble individual, and winning MVP. The way he approaches every day, like when we’re rushing him, he gives us tips. We talk to him about stuff. I ask him questions and we help each other out. I think his mindset for the game and how he approaches it is why he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league and a future Hall of Famer. Just everything about it, I love it and I’m glad he’s coming back and continuing the journey.”
Byron Young on Matthew Stafford: He Wants to Win Another Super Bowl
The 38-year-old has been around forever and has accomplished just about everything since entering the NFL in 2009. He won a Super Bowl during his first season with the Rams in 2021 and he won his first MVP last year after leading the league in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.
There were question marks as to whether or not Stafford would return this year, but he quickly squashed the retirement rumors when he won the MVP just prior to last season’s Super Bowl. The Rams came within a possession of defeating the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, a result that definitely influenced Stafford’s decision to return for another season to complete the job.
“Yes, sir, I agree,” said Young. “That speaks a lot for him to return. He’s not gonna return for no reason. He’s gonna return because he must feel like where we were last year, we could capitalize on that and get the job done this year with the Super Bowl.”
As mentioned before, the Rams may have disappointed in their season opener as the Super Bowl betting favorites, but the good thing is they’ll have 16 games to make up for it. Los Angeles will host the New York Giants in Week 2 on Monday Night Football.
Rams Pro Bowler Gives Honest Thoughts on Reigning MVP Matthew Stafford