Matthew Stafford is in his 18th NFL season in 2026. Saying Stafford has seen it all and done it all in the NFL would be an understatement. As a former No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford endured eight losing seasons during his 12 years in Detroit.
In 2021, Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, where he’s enjoyed four winning seasons in his first five years there and is on pace for another terrific year in 2026. Stafford also won his only Super Bowl and MVP award since his trade to Los Angeles.
So, for young quarterbacks, Stafford could be an excellent resource. One young quarterback who has had a difficult week is Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels.
Last Sunday, the Commanders were driving for a potential game-winning field goal when Daniels, with no timeouts remaining, was tackled with no way to stop the clock. It cost Washington a win. Head coach Dan Quinn took responsibility, as did Daniels. Still, it cost the Commanders a potential win.
Stafford, whose Rams play Daniels and the Commanders in Week 9, was a guest on “Let’s Go!” with Jim Gray, where he was asked how difficult it will be for Daniels to forgive himself for last week’s mistake.
“The great thing about this league is it forces you to focus on what’s next,” Stafford said. “And if you’re doing what you think is best for your team, the best thing to do is learn from that as fast as you possibly can and move forward. How do I get myself ready so that, ‘Hey, next week, let’s not be in that spot. Let’s have a two-score lead, or let’s have a one-score lead, or just going out there and kneeling it out.' It’s a tough spot to be in that sometimes when you feel like you have let yourself down, or let your team down, or whatever that is, through an interception, or a mental lapse, whatever. But you’ve got to move forward. There’s a new team out there, and I’ll tell you what: they don’t feel sorry for you. They’re coming out there trying to beat you next week, so he’s got to do everything he can to get ready to go, and I'm sure he will."
"The great thing about this league is it forces you to focus on what's next..."
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) October 16, 2026
Matthew Stafford on Jayden Daniels on an all-new "Let's Go!" with @JimGrayOfficial | #RaiseHail
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Good advice from Stafford. Sometimes the best advice is the simplest advice.
You can bet Stafford and the Rams hope Daniels and the Commanders can take down the 49ers on Monday night, as San Francisco leads Los Angeles by three games in the NFC West.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Rams QB Matthew Stafford shares some advice for Commanders' Jayden Daniels
