Matthew Stafford did not play particularly well against the Raiders on Sunday, but he had a defense that picked him up by forcing four turnovers and scoring a touchdown of its own in the Rams’ 20-15 win. Stafford finished with just 154 yards passing and no touchdowns to go with one interception, a stat line that gave him a passer rating of just 62.6.
Yet, all that matters is the Rams came away with a win, even as ugly as it was. It’s rare for a team to win with a quarterback putting up such underwhelming numbers, especially in the case of Stafford.
J.B. Long noticed that it was Stafford’s fewest passing yards in a game as a member of the Rams, with the next four lowest passing outputs coming in losses. After digging further, it’s only the second time in Stafford’s career that he won a game with fewer than 155 yards passing and no touchdowns.
The only other instance was in 2018 as a member of the Lions when Detroit beat the Cardinals,17-3. Stafford threw for just 101 yards and had no touchdowns in that game. In the other eight games where Stafford had fewer than 200 yards passing and no touchdowns, he was 0-8.
Fewest passing yards in a Rams game for Matthew Stafford (154), and they find a way to win.
His next four lowest passing totals in LA uniform were all losses (and two of them he could not finish due to injury).
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) October 20, 2024
Stats like this show why football is the ultimate team sport. Even in a game where Stafford put up some of his worst career numbers, the Rams found a way to win thanks to the defense’s knack for creating turnovers.
He’d much rather throw for 300 yards and four touchdowns, but he’ll gladly take the win instead.