Rams News: PFF Shows Respect to Matthew Stafford on QB Countdown

While Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has plummeted on some countdowns, Pro Football Focus still gave him a relatively high ranking.

There will be many 2023 countdowns where Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford falls out of the top 20 after an injury-riddled second season with the team. 

But while Pro Football Focus is often polarizing, they still ranked Stafford at No. 12 heading into 2023: 

"Is Stafford physically able to be the player he once was? Last season was a nightmare for the Rams from start to finish, and Stafford wasn’t far different on an individual level. He went from throwing 50 touchdowns including the playoffs the season before to just 10 across nine games before being shut down for the year. The Rams and Stafford are likely on the far side of their Super Bowl window, but how much he has left in the tank is a big unknown." 

The former No. 1 overall pick tossed 41 touchdowns to 17 interceptions in 2021, while throwing for 4,886 yards in his first season playing in Sean McVay's offense. But the Rams went just 3-6 in games started by Stafford in 2022, with the quarterback throwing 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions as the team experienced quite the Super Bowl hangover.

In theory, 35 isn't that old for a quarterback in today's game. But Stafford often took a beating physically during his 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions. And though his first campaign with the Rams ended with a Super Bowl title, injuries -- including twice being in concussion protocol -- limited him to just nine games in 2022. 

You just wonder if all of the hits Stafford has taken in his NFL career have caught up to him at once. Sure, Tom Brady played into his mid-40s, but he rarely took major hits and had excellent supporting casts in both New England and Tampa Bay. Stafford was probably willing to take big hits to a fault in Detroit, as he tried to make up for an underwhelming team around him outside of Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson. 

It also doesn't help in projecting what Stafford will be able to do moving forward that the Rams, outside of wide receiver Cooper Kupp, don't have a ton of offensive talent around Stafford anymore. 

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