Matthew Stafford Looks to Draw From Previous Meeting vs. 49ers to Overcome Mistakes

Matthew Stafford shares what he learned from his first meeting against the 49ers, and how the Rams look to adjust in their regular-season finale on Sunday.

Nicholas Cothrel | Jan 6, 2022

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Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was knocked out of rhythm early on in Week 10 – his first meeting against the 49ers since joining his new club and getting an early taste of the NFC West.

Stafford was intercepted on his first two possessions at Levi's Stadium, including one that was returned for a pick-six. Both balls were picked off by San Francisco's veteran safety, Jimmy Ward, who capped off a career game during Monday night's primetime slate.

While the Rams fell to the 49ers 31-10 in the first go-around, Stafford and company will have a shot at redemption in the regular-season finale when L.A. attempts to clinch the division with a win over San Francisco.

Stafford, who undoubtedly would’ve likely to do things differently in his meeting against the 49ers, shared with reporters via Zoom some of the dynamics that he learned when turning back the clock to what he ultimately saw when reviewing game film from that mid-November outing.

“We put ourselves behind early. Obviously, the first drive of the game, threw one that I probably should’ve just run or thrown away," Stafford said. "And they did a nice job of controlling the ball after that, scoring a touchdown. And not too long after that, we had the unfortunate interception for a touchdown that was a play that (I) felt safe about, just happened. It's plays in football that happen, but I think just (we’ve) got to do a better (job) of giving ourselves a chance and not shooting ourselves in the foot."

Stafford's strong arm allows the Rams offense to burn opposing defenses with sizeable chunk plays, relying on the deep ball. Although, that doesn't go without saying that Stafford has been susceptible to turn the ball over.

Surely, he makes up for the mistakes, ranking second in passing yards (4,646) and touchdowns (38). But his 16 interceptions rank just behind Trevor Lawrence for the second-most in the NFL.

Stafford is coming off back-to-back games in which he's turned the ball over three times – in the form of interception and fumble.

With the 49ers previously showing they're no stranger to taking advantage of their oppositions' mistakes, Stafford must exemplify turnover-free football, or at the very least keep things manageable. Even Stafford himself acknowledges it.

"That's something that has come up the last couple weeks on the offensive side of the ball," Stafford said referencing the turnovers. "So, we got to make sure that we do a good job of making sure that we end every drive of the kick - whether that's a punt or a field goal or an extra point. We do that, we're going to give ourselves a much better chance.”

Meanwhile, it's not just Stafford that needs to elevate his level of play when the Rams' division rival comes to town. Rams coach Sean McVay is 3-6 against the 49ers with his last win coming in 2018.

A win on Sunday would propel the Rams to clinch the NFC West and maintain ahold of the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture, putting them in the position to host their Wild Card round contest.

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.

Published Jan 6, 2022

NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.