Rams' Matthew Stafford Makes History After Comeback Performance Against 49ers

Jeremy Hanna | Sep 25, 2024

Sep 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams' comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers caught everyone by surprise.

A majority of the attention has been given to running back Kyren Williams, and for good reason. He rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns while also making two receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Still, credit has to be given to quarterback Matthew Stafford, who successfully led the Rams to two four scoring drives in the second half.

Overall, Stafford completed 16 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. And those 16 completions have moved Stafford into the NFL history books.

Today, the Los Angeles Rams social media team announced that Stafford has officially moved into the Top 10 for most all-time completions by a quarterback with 4,903 total completions. This has moved him past former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Continuing to add to the history books. pic.twitter.com/KGeHWFUX4Q

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 25, 2024

This puts Stafford behind Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino, who completed 4,967 passes in his career from 1983-1998. It's likely that Stafford will pass Marino this season.

The only other active quarterback in the Top 10 is Aaron Rodgers, who is ranked eighth with 5,059 total completions.

The other seven players in the Top 10 are Philip Rivers (5,277), Ben Roethlisberger (5,440), Matt Ryan (5,551), Peyton Manning (6,125), Brett Favre (6,300), Drew Brees (7,142), and Tom Brady (7,753).

Three of these quarterbacks (Favre, Manning, and Marino) are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Given his record in the NFL, it's likely Stafford will join them as well.

Stafford began his NFL career when he was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the first overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Despite performing well, Stafford's first two seasons were shortened due to injury. However, he returned in 2011 to lead the Lions to their first playoff appearance since 1999. He was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year for the season.

Stafford wound up taking the Lions to the playoffs three times, in 2011, 2014, and 2016. Unfortunately, they never made it out of the Wild Card round.

Stafford would go on to find more playoff success when he was traded to the Rams in 2021 for Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round pick, and two first-round picks in 2022 and 2023.

Stafford went on to lead Los Angeles to the Super Bowl, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 after a dynamic and exciting game.

In his career, Stafford has been named to two Pro Bowls (2014, 2023) and is on the Detroit Lions All-Time Team. In total, Stafford has thrown for 56,801 yards and 359 touchdowns in 209 games.

More Rams: How Far Has Los Angeles Risen in NFL Power Rankings After Beating the 49ers?