At 2-4, something needs to change for the Los Angeles Rams. Special teams have been a recurring issue for the Rams for much of the Sean McVay era, particularly in recent seasons. But that situation isn’t fixable in an instant. What has been shocking, though, amid their terrible start, is Matthew Stafford’s play.
While there have been some obvious highs, the reigning MVP hasn’t performed at nearly the same level. Now, after a dreadful loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the noise against him is starting to get louder by the moment.
Matthew Stafford Being Questioned for His Production Level
Coming into their Week 6 game, Stafford ranked at number 12 on PFN’s Quarterback Impact Metric. While not outright bad, it was far from the highs that the Rams had climbed last season.
That has been reflected in the win-loss column as well, as the team sits well under .500 for the year. Against the Cardinals, too, the problems were immediate to see. Even though the overall stat line was strong (222 yards and 2 touchdowns), the tape told a different story.
“The Cardinals just beat the super team Rams by kicking 5 field goals,” former NFL defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko pointed out. “Can we have an honest conversation about Matthew Stafford?”
JP Acosta, too, was sounding the warning bells, claiming, “They still can win it all, but the offensive line looked out of sorts, Stafford looks terrified to get hit and the special teams still is rough.”
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The game against the Cardinals, though, was an exceptional outlier in the storied career of Stafford. Despite an MVP and a Super Bowl to his credit, this was among his least aggressive performances in the last decade.
“Matthew Stafford had 4.8 air yards per attempt against the Cardinals, his third-lowest mark of any start with the Rams,” Benjamin Solak revealed. “Only 24% of his throws went beyond the line to gain, the lowest he’s had in a game since the 2018 season.”
Fred Robledo, though, was ready to make his conclusion as he argued, “Sorry, Stafford’s days as an elite QB are over, he is way too slow and unathletic.”
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Blaine Grisak of Sports Illustrated, too, pointed the blame at Stafford, as well as head coach Sean McVay, writing, “Two of the biggest problems for the Rams right now are Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay. It’s the uncomfortable reality. Those two have not been good enough for much of the first 6 weeks.”
It remains to be seen if the rough start to the season is an outlier for the Rams or a sign of things to come. But the situation has gotten extremely tricky in a hurry.
Now, they have a huge challenge ahead of them if they want to emerge as a legitimate threat in the NFC.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.