Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has had an up-and-down 2026 so far. The gunslinger and reigning MVP has put together three stellar performances and also suffered poor showings against the 49ers and Eagles.
Coming into the season, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated ranked Stafford third among all NFL quarterbacks. Through five weeks, his ranking has dropped to No. 8 as the Rams slumped to 2-3 on the year, with his high interception rate being labeled as the reason behind the fall.
Stafford threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns in Monday night’s 37–34 overtime loss to the Bills, which perfectly encapsulates what he and the Rams have done in the first five weeks. The odds-on Super Bowl favorites entering the season, Los Angeles is 2–3 while the reigning MVP has thrown six interceptions. Still, he has a league-leading 1,572 passing yards. The bulk numbers have been there, but the issues are more present than they were a year ago, including two games with multiple interceptions, matching his total from 2025.
Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Lamar Jackson, Brock Purdy, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes are all ranked ahead of Stafford, despite the Rams quarterback putting together one of the more complete displays of the year, backed by his statistical dominance.
Monday night against the Bills was Stafford's first game of the season where he did not throw an interception.
The Rams host the Arizona Cardinals this week as the team looks to get back to .500 this season.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford falls out of top 5 in Sports Illustrated's QB rankings