The Los Angeles Rams came a play or two away from advancing to the second Super Bowl of the Matthew Stafford era on Sunday.
Unfortunately for L.A., a muffed punt by Xavier Smith that led to a Seattle touchdown and a questionable call by head coach Sean McVay to go for it on fourth-and-4 from the Seahawks 6-yard line instead of kicking a field goal to pull within one point did the Rams in as Seattle held on for a 31-27 victory.
It marked the second time the Rams lost to their NFC West rival. Both defeats came in one-score games.
With Los Angeles getting a jump start on its offseason, there was one big question on everyone’s mind after the game.
McVay Was Asked if Stafford Will Retire
GettyLos Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford
Stafford turns 38 in a few weeks, and some are wondering if he plans to play next season or if they just watched his final NFL game.
McVay was even asked after the game by a reporter if he could shed some insight on what Stafford plans to do.
“Do you expect Matthew Stafford to be back next season?” the reporter asked.
“Yeah, I mean if he still wants to play,” McVay retorted . “What the hell kind of question is that? The answer is yeah. You’ll have to ask him [if he still wants to play]. We’ve been totally present, I know that if he wants to — he’s still playing at a pretty damn good clip. I mean, he’s the MVP of the league. And if he’s not, I’ve got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level that’s just different.”
Judging from his performance this season — and against Seattle on Sunday — Stafford still has plenty left in the tank.
The former No. 1 overall pick threw for 374 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions — a performance that would have been good enough to win on any other day.
Stafford is also the betting favorite to win the league MVP. He had one of the best seasons of his career, passing for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions with a 109.2 passer rating. He set new career highs in both TD passes and passer rating.
Stafford Makes Unfortunate NFL History
Though Stafford has been arguably the best QB in the NFL this season, he made some unwanted NFL history on Sunday, becoming the first player to throw for 350 or more yards and 3 touchdowns with no turnovers in a playoff game and still lose.
Fortunately for Stafford, his performance wasn’t the best by a losing quarterback.
Back in Super Bowl LII in 2018, then New England Patriots QB Tom Brady threw for 505 yards and 3 touchdowns, though he fumbled once, in a losing effort against the Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33.
As impressive as Stafford was, so too was Seahawks signal-caller Sam Darnold.
The former No. 3 overall pick is on his fifth team in eight years, and he had one of the best performances of his career in the biggest game of his career. Darnold threw for 346 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions in leading the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl since 2015.
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