LOS ANGELES — In a truly Hollywood plotline, Matthew Stafford is redefining his legacy in dramatic fashion. He’s approaching his career arc.
A perennial loser with the Detroit Lions as far as his track record for winning percentage while surrounded by a lower standard of talent and coaching stability, Stafford is thoroughly enjoying his new digs on the West Coast and his elevated football situation.
Could a Super Bowl win cement Matthew Stafford’s Hall of Fame candidacy?
As the Los Angeles Rams’ starting quarterback, Stafford is now in the Super Bowl and poised to perhaps boost his stock into an eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame contender.
How does that happen after being acquired via a trade that swapped out Jared Goff to the Lions?
Super Bowl rings matter significantly in balloting for the Hall of Fame
Should Stafford be a major reason why the Rams are victorious on Sunday in the Super Bowl — three years after losing the big game to the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady and Bill Belichick tandem –, it changes how he’s perceived.
It’s the cherry on top of a rich sundae. This is more than sprinkles for Stafford, who ranks 12th in all-time passing yards with nearly 50,000 yards placing him between Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway and Fran Tarkenton.
Long time coming for Stafford
“Long time coming,” Stafford said. “Spent a lot of years in this league, and I’ve loved every minute of it. I feel blessed to be able to play in this league for as long as I have, but I sure am happy for this opportunity for not only myself but really so many guys in that locker room that deserve this too.”
Stafford was the fastest to reach 20,000 yards in 71 games, 30,000 yards in 109 games, and 40,000 yards in 147 games.
It’s been a steady climb for the former Georgia star
Instead of passing to Calvin Johnson, as he did during his early years in Detroit, Stafford is building a strong connection with star wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. Playing in his first Super Bowl, beating the Cincinnati Bengals could cement Stafford’s status as a Hall of Fame candidate.
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Winning a game of this magnitude could be a game-changer for Stafford, who has been selected to one Pro Bowl. He’s 86-95-1 for his career. Stafford’s never been an All-Pro, but he did win NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2011.
Where Stafford stands
Stafford, statistically, has had a similar career mark to three other quarterbacks not in the Hall of Fame: Steve McNair, Mark Brunell, and Tony Romo.
Romo was a four-time Pro Bowl selection who had a 78-49 career record and went 2-4 in the postseason. Brunell, meanwhile, was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with an 84.0 career passer rating and a 5-5 playoff record. The late Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Oilers quarterback, McNair made three Pro Bowls and was 5-5 in the playoffs. He lost a Super Bowl 1 yard shy of going to overtime against the Rams.
Stafford has a 91.1 career passer rating but threw 17 interceptions last season with 161 career interceptions with 27 pick-sixes.
He has deflected all questions this week about the high profile of this game and the bigger stakes and all that signifies for him and his team.
“I think you treat it just like every other game when it gets to that day,” Stafford said. “You got a job to go out there and execute and try and lead your team to help us win. Once the ball is snapped, I mean, it’s going to be football.
“Settle into the game as quickly as you possibly can, trust your eyes, trust your teammates, and go play. I think that part of it, once the ball is snapped, is hopefully going to be the part that’s the easiest to just eliminate all distractions and go out and play.”
Epic Postseason
Stafford has been red hot in the playoffs. He has completed 72 percent of his throws for 905 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception in three postseason games.
“My biggest thing is don’t look at the calendar,” Stafford said. “Just go out there and whatever the day is, go out there and execute as best as you can. I’m not immune to knowing there’s a bunch of people excited about this game. I’m excited about this game. We should be. We worked a lot of years and a lot of time to get to where we are. I’m enjoying that. But at the same time, I’m just focused on doing whatever we can to try and help beat the Bengals.”
Sean McVay believes in Stafford
From Rams coach Sean McVay’s perspective, he believes in Stafford and his ability to rise to the occasion. The confidence is high in the Texas native and former top overall pick of the draft.
“I think he’s at his best when he’s enjoying the moment, playing cool, calm, and collected, being that great competitor and bringing people with him,” McVay said. “And that’s exactly what he’ll do. We went out and got him because we thought it was a chance to be able to get a great player of his magnitude. Those things don’t come around often. He’s elevated everyone around him. He’s made me a better coach, he’s made his teammates better.”
There is no way Matthew Stafford is a Hall of Famer after winning the Super Bowl. He would have to have a run in the next 5 to 7 years of consecutive pro bowls and he’d have to at least make three all pro teams. He needed a all-star team and refs to win a Super Bowl.
He had arguably the greatest WR in Detroit and couldn’t even get to a second round playoff game. Eli Manning has a better resume and he’s not a Hall of Famer.