Rams Duo Ranked: Stafford, McVay Key To Playoff Push

McVay and Stafford have four playoff wins together and are on the hunt for more.

Historically speaking, it’s nearly impossible to win a Super Bowl without having elite talent at quarterback and head coach.

This season is an anticipated bounce-back year for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Elbow problems and multiple stints on the injury list turned 2022 into a lost season for Stafford, who missed eight games. The bright side is, that he still completed 68 percent of his passes, which was fourth-best in the NFL. 

Now healthy, there's no reason to believe Stafford won't be one of the more productive quarterbacks in the NFL, as he was for the bulk of his first 13 seasons. En route to the Super Bowl in 2021, Stafford tossed 41 touchdowns and racked up 4,886 yards in his first season playing for coach Sean McVay. 

McVay, the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at the age of 36, now enters Year 7 with the Rams. After five straight winning seasons, McVay looks to bounce back after the worst season ever by a defending Super Bowl champion team. 

Together, McVay and Stafford have four playoff wins and are on the hunt for more.

Sports Illustrated ranked the Rams tandem as No. 4 collectively; a combination of Stafford's No. 9 ranking and McVay at No. 5.

"Stafford and McVay won it all in 2021, but struggled through a nightmarish title defense last year," SI writes.  "While the Rams’ roster is barren in many areas, this duo should keep them in games and perhaps even make a playoff push in the middling NFC. If Los Angeles exceeds expectations, these two will be why."

Stafford and McVay have a chance to carry their positive preseason momentum into the regular season, when they travel to play the Seattle Seahawks at 1:25 p.m. PT on September 10. As 4.5-point underdogs vs. the Seahawks, a Week 1 upset victory over the NFC West division foe would go a long way in reestablishing confidence in Stafford and McVay.

Unsurprisingly, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid topped the poll as the league's best duo, as the only combo to have won two Super Bowls together.