The again is again.
So is the arm. So are the eyes. So is the savvy.
So are the Rams.
After listening to fret warts spend all summer season fretting a few lingering disc harm that sidelined him all through coaching camp, quarterback Matthew Stafford took the sphere Sunday for the primary time in a aggressive sport in seven months and provided a two-word response.
Again off.
He’s fantastic, he’s higher than fantastic, he’s destined-for-the-Tremendous-Bowl fantastic, it was predicted on this area final week, it’s much more evident now after a season-opening 14-9 victory towards the Houston Texans amid a roaring SoFi Stadium crammed with a misplaced cheer.
On this afternoon, anyway, this was not the Rams home, this was Stafford’s home.
In changing into solely the tenth quarterback in historical past to throw for 60,000 yards, Stafford missed on solely eight of 29 passes, threw for 245 yards, one landing, and mainly carried the crew from the one place everybody figured he was most weak.
Carried them on his again.
“Happy to be where I’m standing right now,” mentioned Stafford afterward outdoors a joyous locker room.
Standing, despite the fact that he endured three sacks. Standing, despite the fact that he confronted a relentless go rush. Standing, at the same time as a lot of the remainder of the crew was collapsing.
And, oh yeah, standing despite the fact that his coach threw him to the wolves by calling a quarterback sneak from the aim line. No, Stafford didn’t make it. Sure, Sean McVay admitted it wasn’t an excellent name even for his hardest of gamers.
“He’s a stud,” McVay mentioned.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrates as he walks off the sphere following a 14-9 win over the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Occasions)
A 37-year-old stud who’s been doing this for 17 seasons but nonetheless brings the eagerness of a swagger and a stare and a shout.
”Your chief embodies… the persona the crew takes on,” McVay mentioned. “Grateful to have someone as resilient, as steady, as calm in the middle of the chaos as what he is.”
And that’s not the half of it.
“He’s also got this fire and this competitiveness that’s what’s great for this game,” McVay mentioned.
It’s arguably the best cliche in Los Angeles sports activities to overstate the closeness of Stafford and his way back former Dallas-area highschool teammate Clayton Kershaw.
However you need to know the reality? In some ways nowadays, as they each march brilliantly towards titles within the twilight of their careers, Staffford is Kershaw and Kershaw is Stafford.
Take a look at Sunday, when, earlier within the day, pitching within the wake of their worst lack of the season, carrying a crew determined for a victory, Kershaw pitched 5⅔ robust innings within the Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Later Sunday, charged with main a championship contender additionally determined for a tone-setting win, Stafford primarily did the identical factor.
“We’re at our best when we put the game in his hands,” McVay mentioned of Stafford, repeating the essence of what Dave Roberts usually says about Kershaw.
Nate Landman clinched the Rams’ win with a fumble-causing punch deep in Rams territory, but it surely was Stafford who threw the haymaker with a gap second-half drive that modified the local weather.
Earlier than Stafford took over, the Rams trailed 9-7 whereas affected by dumb penalties and foolish misplays.
After Stafford took over, the Rams led 14-9 with sufficient momentum to hold them to a stirring if pretty ugly victory.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes in the course of the first quarter Sunday towards the Texans.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Occasions)
“He came up with clutch play after clutch play,” McVay mentioned.
On the second play of the second half, Stafford put the ball over the center the place it was scooped up by new receiver Davante Adams for 15 yards.
As Adams was catching 4 balls for 51 yards in his Rams debut, his famend predecessor Cooper Kupp was catching solely two passes for 15 yards in Seattle. Whereas Kupp’s legend will reside right here without end, so long as they’ve Stafford, the Rams received’t miss a beat. By the way, it additionally helped that the irrepressible Puka Nacua caught 10 passes for 130 yards.
“He made a bunch of big-time plays,” mentioned McVay of Stafford, “and we had to have all of them.”
After the go to Adams, Stafford threw an ideal pitch downfield to Xavier Smith for 36 yards. One snap later, he threaded the reeling Texans’ protection for a 13-yard landing go to one of many Rams’ bazillion expert tight ends, Davis Allen.
In just three minutes of sport time, Stafford had utilized three vastly completely different receivers working three vastly completely different routes to alter the sport for good.
Rams working again Kyren Williams, proper, celebrates with Matthew Stafford, left, and different Rams teammates after scoring a landing within the second quarter towards the Texans.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Occasions)
And significantly, he’s accomplished stuff like this greater than 60,000 instances. Give it some thought. If Stafford had not been hidden for all these years in Detroit, he’d already be thought of one of many best quarterbacks ever. He wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, want the second Tremendous Bowl championship that many people assume is a requirement for that type of lofty fame.
“The cool thing about a quarterback. … I can’t throw for any of those yards without 10 other guys who are doing their job,” Stafford mentioned. “It’s really cool to share it with so many people.”
It’s actually, actually cool that he’s additionally sharing it with Los Angeles.
On a primary afternoon that felt like a primary step towards one thing particular, Matthew Stafford as soon as once more had a metropolis’s again.
