How has Matthew Stafford fared against each of the Rams’ 2021 opponents in his career?
Matthew Stafford has been in the NFL for 12 seasons and though he’s missed some time with injuries, he’s still managed to face every team in the league at least once – except the Detroit Lions, of course. That gives us a lengthy history to comb through when looking at how he’s performed against the Rams’ 2021 opponents.
He’s faced each team the Rams will play in 2021 at least twice (except Detroit) and while he’s played well against some, other teams have had his number.
Here’s a look at how he’s performed against the Rams’ 14 upcoming opponents during his career.
Chicago Bears (record: 11-9)
63.7% completion rate, 272 yards per game, 32 touchdown passes, 23 interceptions, 86.3 rating Stafford's numbers are almost reflective of his team's success. They're not bad, but they're also not great – and it's part of the reason the Lions were just barely above .500 against the Bears in Stafford's 12 years. He did miss four games against Chicago in his career but an 11-9 record is still pretty good. In last year's opener, the Lions blew a 23-6 fourth-quarter lead, a game Stafford started.
Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
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64.6%, 329.7 YPG, 8 TDs, 2 INTs, 102.8 rating Stafford hasn't played the Colts much, but he's put up huge numbers against them. He's thrown for at least 300 yards and two touchdowns in each of his three games against Indianapolis, including a 336-yard, three-touchdown performance in 2020.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
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71.3%, 262.2 YPG, 10 TDs, 7 INTs, 98.2 rating Stafford owns a winning record against the Bucs and a respectable touchdown-to-interception ratio. His completion rate of 71.3% is particularly impressive, and it was helped by a 36-for-44 showing in 2017 when he threw for 381 yards in a 24-21 win in 2017. That's the 16th-most yards he's had in his career.
Arizona Cardinals (3-4-1)
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62.2%, 242.9 YPG, 12 TDs, 8 INTs, 84.3 rating Surprisingly, Stafford's numbers against Arizona aren't all that great. He's only topped 300 yards once in eight games against the Cardinals, a 385-yard, three-touchdown performance in 2019, which ended in a 27-27 tie. In three games against Arizona, Stafford has thrown for fewer than 200 yards and the Lions scored 17 points or fewer four times.
Seattle Seahawks (1-3)
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64.5%, 267.0 YPG, 7 TDs, 7 INTs, 79.1 rating As has been the case for most quarterbacks, the Seahawks have given Stafford some trouble. He's just 1-3 against them and has thrown as many touchdowns as interceptions in those four games. His most recent game against Seattle was in 2018, a 28-14 loss despite Stafford's 310 yards and two touchdowns.
New York Giants (3-2)
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66.9%, 261.0 YPG, 7 TDs, 4 INTs, 94.6 rating Stafford has looked fairly comfortable against the Giants, though he was blanked in the touchdown column twice in five games. In 2019, Stafford led the Lions to a 31-26 win over New York thanks to his 342 yards, three touchdowns and only one interception – all despite being sacked four times.
Detroit Lions: N/A
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The only team in the NFL Stafford hasn't faced is the team he spent 12 years with. Week 7 will be the first time ever he faces the Lions, a game that will be played at SoFi Stadium. There's no bad blood between the two sides as the Lions did right by Stafford to trade him, but he'll surely want to win that one.
Houston Texans (0-3)
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59.7%, 325.3 YPG, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 86.5 rating Stafford's stat line against the Texans is bizarre. He's only completed about 60% of his passes against them, but he averages 325.3 yards per game and only has one interception – and an 0-3 record. The Lions' three losses to Houston under Stafford were 34-31, 20-13 and 41-25, so the defense didn't exactly do him any favors.
Tennessee Titans (0-3)
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67.5%, 263.3 YPG, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 92.4 rating Another AFC South team Stafford is 0-3 against, the Titans' three wins against the Lions since 2012 are mostly about Detroit's defense coming up short. The Titans scored 44, 16 and 46 points in their three games against the Lions, while Stafford has had middling production and only one touchdown pass in each meeting.
San Francisco 49ers (1-3)
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64.0%, 292.8 YPG, 8 TDs, 1 INT, 96.8 rating Good news: Stafford has strong numbers against the 49ers, who he will face twice a year with the Rams. He was especially impressive in his last two games against San Francisco, throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in 2015 and another 347 yards with three touchdowns and zero picks in 2018.
Green Bay Packers (7-13)
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61.5%, 283.7 YPG, 37 TDs, 20 INTs, 89.9 rating Stafford and Aaron Rodgers dueled a bunch during their time together in the NFC North and they'll battle again in Week 12 – so long as Rodgers is still in Green Bay. Stafford's carer-high in passing yards (520) came against the Packers in 2012, a game the Lions lost 45-41 despite the quarterback's five touchdown passes – also tied for a career-high. Green Bay has sacked Stafford 47 times in 20 games, including four times in each game last season.
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-0)
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67.0%, 262.0 YPG, 1 TD, 1 INT, 90.8 rating Somehow, Stafford is 3-0 against the Jaguars with two double-digit wins despite never topping 300 yards and only throwing one total touchdown pass in three games. In last year's 34-16 win over Jacksonville, Stafford had one touchdown and an interception, throwing for 223 yards but only completing 19 of 31 passes. It's a bizarre stat line given the team's record.
Minnesota Vikings (8-13)
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63.1%, 246.5 YPG, 31 TDs, 11 INTs, 89.5 rating Needless to say, Stafford likes playing against the Vikings. He has almost a 3-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and although he only averages 246.5 yards per game against Minnesota, he does a good job avoiding turnovers. In his last three games against the Vikings, Stafford has eight touchdown passes and four interceptions with no fumbles and an average of 289.3 yards per game. Unfortunately, the Lions allowed 116 points in those three games and Stafford has lost six straight to Minnesota.
Baltimore Ravens (0-2)
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66.7%, 263.5 YPG, 2 TDs, 4 INTs, 76.6 rating It's only been two games, but Baltimore has played well against Stafford. The Ravens beat the Lions 18-16 in 2013 and 44-20 in 2017, as Stafford threw just one touchdown pass in each loss with four total interceptions. He completed 82.8% of his passes in that 2017 loss and had a passer rating of 105.7, but the defense gave up 44 points and Stafford was sacked three times.
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