Associated Press
Matthew Stafford may not receive a knighthood for his record-setting performance at Wembley Stadium, but he jokingly wondered if there was a prize for his achievement.
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback threw five touchdown passes in a commanding 35-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, marking a first for an NFL international game.
“Do I get a sword or something?” a smiling Stafford asked humorously.
While he won’t be receiving any swords, Stafford and the Rams can fly home with a 5-2 record, their best start since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2021.
The last time Stafford threw five touchdown passes in a game was on Thanksgiving in 2015, during Detroit’s 45-14 victory over the Eagles.
On Sunday, he found success against Jacksonville's defense, connecting with Davante Adams for three scores at the iconic venue of English soccer.
Stafford has thrown 12 touchdowns without an interception in his last four games. He also connected with rookie receiver Konata Mumpfield and rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson during the game. The duo stepped up in light of Puka Nacua missing the game due to an ankle injury.
“We saw a few opportune moments to take advantage of some one-on-ones,” said Adams, who noted he and Stafford had been exchanging extra text messages in recent weeks to discuss strategies.
Adams became the second player to score three touchdowns in an international game, following Marcedes Lewis, who achieved the same feat in Jacksonville’s 44-7 win over the Ravens at Wembley in 2017.
Adams caught two touchdown passes in the first half and added a third on a 1-yard jump ball, prompting Jaguars fans to leave the stadium early.
Stafford completed 21 of 33 passes for 182 yards, while Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence finished 23 of 48 for 296 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Hunter.
In 2014, Stafford had led the Lions to a comeback victory over the Falcons, overcoming a 21-point deficit at halftime.
“It’s a blast. Sometimes travel is tough, but once you get out here, the fans are great, and the people are great,” said the 37-year-old quarterback.
The Jaguars struggled, allowing seven sacks and committing 13 penalties for a total of 119 yards.
“I’m not going to stand up here and blame the players; it starts with me,” said Jags coach Liam Coen. “You wouldn’t have guessed that we were here for a week, prepared and ready to play in this atmosphere by looking at how we started the game.”
Despite arriving in London on Saturday morning, the Rams appeared fresh and scored three first-half touchdowns.
Mumpfield scored the first touchdown, followed by two from Adams. Both players celebrated with the “Siu” move popularized by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mumpfield’s celebration followed his first NFL touchdown, a 5-yard reception at the back of the end zone, capping a 13-play, 60-yard opening drive.
Five different players caught passes during the Rams’ opening drive.
“We spread the ball around a lot today,” said Stafford.
On the second drive, Stafford connected with Adams on a quick fade for a 2-yard touchdown pass, giving the Rams a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Adams also performed his version of the “Siu” celebration.
Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis was in coverage for both touchdown passes.
Adams later caught a 1-yard touchdown pass before halftime, extending the lead to 21-0, though he did not celebrate this time.
However, he had most of the offense perform the “Siu” after his third touchdown.
Ferguson’s 31-yard touchdown reception on a fourth-and-1 play pushed the score to 28-0 early in the fourth quarter.
Rams linebacker Byron Young extended his sack streak to nine regular-season games.
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