Matthew Stafford’s 36th fourth-quarter comeback benefited Rams, opened record book
If he wins another Super Bowl, Matthew Stafford will boost résumé material that could lead to his eventual election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In the meantime, the Rams’ veteran quarterback continues to climb the NFL’s all-time passing list.
On Sunday, when the Rams travel to Soldier Field to play the Chicago Bears, Stafford needs 223 yards passing to move past Eli Manning into 10th place for career passing yards.
During a 16-year career with the New York Giants, Manning won two Super Bowls and passed for 57,023 yards. Stafford, in his 16th season and fourth with the Rams, has passed for 56,801 yards.
Rams-49ers takeaways: An offense filled with backups on the offensive line and at receiver coupled with a clutch defense is difference in big NFC West win.
Manning, eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time, passed for 366 touchdowns, which ranks 10th all time. Stafford has passed for 359.
Stafford, 36, is coming off another clutch performance in the Rams’ 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. He engineered a fourth-quarter touchdown drive and the game-winning field-goal drive for his 36th comeback victory.
Stafford is tied with Drew Brees for fifth on the all-time comebacks list, trailing only Tom Brady, the leader with 46, Peyton Manning (43), Ben Roethlisberger (41) and Matt Ryan (38), according to profootballreference.com.
“Any time you’re getting mentioned with guys like Drew Brees, who did such amazing things in this league for such a long time, I feel humbled again just to be in that same breath,” Stafford said Wednesday before practice. “So I have a lot of respect for him and who he was as a player.”
The Rams were on the verge of staying winless, but Sean McVay’s team never gave up hope and managed to pull off a season-saving comeback against the 49ers.
Brees led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl title to cap the 2009 season. Stafford, who played 12 seasons for the Detroit Lions before he was traded in 2021, led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl LVI in his first season with them.
Fourth-quarter comebacks are great, he said.
“It means your team can count on you in those moments,” Stafford said, before jokingly adding a caveat. “They’re also not so great: It means you were down — so play better in the first three.
“Football’s a funny game sometimes. One great quarter can erase three bad ones. So take ‘em whenever you can get ‘em. Tough to go out there and play four perfect quarters.”
Stafford’s performance against the 49ers was impressive, given that the Rams were missing star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
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The Rams trailed by 14 early in the game and were behind by 10 late.
“That patience and ability to just play one play at a time was key and critical for the poise that was reflected,” coach Sean McVay said of Stafford.
Stafford connected with receiver Tutu Atwell for a 50-yard pass that set up Kyren Williams’ touchdown run and Joshua Karty’s tying conversion kick. Tight end Colby Parkinson drew a pass-interference penalty that helped set up Karty’s winning field goal.
Etc.
Kupp no longer has a cast on his injured left ankle. Kupp, who remains out indefinitely, and receiver Nacua (knee), who is on injured reserve, performed rehabilitation exercises with trainers after the Rams’ walk-through. … Cornerback Darious Williams (hamstring) is eligible to return from injured reserve after the Rams play the Bears, but McVay did not provide a timetable for when he would be designated to return. “He’s making good progress,” McVay said. “As far as when he’ll be able to return, have not decided that yet.”... Tight end Davis Allen, who sat out against the 49ers because of a back injury, returned to practice and was limited, per the injury report.
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