Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay shot knowing glances at each other, then went to work on the drive that got the Los Angeles Rams one step away from the Super Bowl.
Stafford and the Rams survived an incredible throw by Caleb Williams that forced overtime, beating the Chicago Bears 20-17 on Sunday night to advance to the NFC championship game.
For over 15 years, Matthew Stafford has been a cornerstone of late-game drama, effortlessly leading game-winning drives. On Saturday night in Charlotte, Stafford delivered yet another career-defining performance, overcoming three quarters of inconsistency to guide the Rams down the field in the final minute against a tough Panthers defense. His nineteen-yard pass to tight end Colby Parkinson provided the Rams with the lead just 38 seconds before the end of the game, securing a 34-31 victory over Carolina and advancing to the NFC Divisional Round.
The Los Angeles Rams faced their biggest deficit in more than two months when they fell 10 points behind Detroit with 30 seconds left in the first half. Even worse, both their offense and their defense felt they were letting each other down.
That’s when Matthew Stafford reminded his sideline that a big comeback must start small.
Matthew Stafford dominated on the field before being serenaded with “M-V-P!” chants off of it, soaking in some locker room praise from teammates after another stellar performance that led his Los Angeles Rams to a 45-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
The 37-year-old quarterback has rarely looked better in his 17-year NFL career.
It’s a big reason why the Rams look like one of the best teams in the league.
The University of New Mexico, which went 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the Mountain West, tying for first place, was selected to play the University of Minnesota in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rate Bowl will be played on Friday, December 26, at 2:30 pm Mountain Time at Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Although Matthew Stafford threw touchdown passes on the Los Angeles Rams’ first three drives against Tampa Bay, he was even more excited by teammate Cobie Durant’s electrifying interception return for a TD, raising his hand atop his head as a makeshift fin to salute the cornerback who calls himself the Land Shark.
By the time Stafford’s third TD pass hit Davante Adams’ hands, he was hearing loud “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants from the biggest crowd in SoFi Stadium history.
The Rams made four interceptions and they kept Seattle out of the end zone for the first 57 1/2 minutes. Los Angeles’ offense scored three touchdowns against the Seahawks’ vaunted defense.
This meeting of streaking NFC West powers still came down to a long field goal attempt as time expired.
When Jason Myers came up short and wide right from 61 yards, the Rams celebrated a messy victory — but one with season-defining potential.
Matthew Stafford punctuated his fourth touchdown pass of the day, which capped a three-game run that had never been achieved before in the NFL, with a little bit of a shimmy shake.
Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams have had plenty to celebrate the past few weeks.
Stafford set an NFL record with his third straight game with at least four TD passes and no interceptions and Los Angeles beat the San Francisco 49ers 42-26 on Sunday for a fourth straight victory.
Jared Verse walked into a deserted room Saturday night and thought he had somehow missed the Los Angeles Rams’ team meeting.
He soon figured out his teammates were elsewhere in the hotel watching the Los Angeles Dodgers’ stirring rally to win Game 7 of the World Series and back-to-back titles.
A day after the Rams thrilled to their neighbors’ championship poise, they put on a performance against the New Orleans Saints that had them thinking about adding to Los Angeles’ trophy case.
Story From the Associated Press / Photo From the Santa Fe New Mexican
Jack Layne threw three touchdown passes, D.J. McKinney scored the winning touchdown with 3 minutes to go, and New Mexico defeated UNLV 40-35 on Saturday.
The Lobos (6-3, 3-2 Mountain West) saw leads of 21-0 in the first half and 34-21 in the third quarter disappear before McKinney scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3 minutes remaining.
Story By The Associated Press / Photo By The Albuquerque Journal
In a thrilling showdown on Saturday, the New Mexico Lobos dominated the Utah State Aggies with a spectacular 33-14 victory in Mountain West play. D.J. McKinney stole the spotlight, dazzling fans with two impressive touchdowns, including a sensational 49-yard punt return that kicked off the scoring frenzy. Early in the second quarter, he added to the excitement with a powerful 1-yard touchdown run, setting the stage for an electrifying first half performance.
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.
D.J. McKinney rushed for two touchdowns, and Scottre Humphrey added a touchdown run as New Mexico defeated Nevada 24-22 on Saturday night. This marked the Wolf Pack's fifth consecutive loss.
Quarterback Jack Layne completed 14 of 22 passes for 138 yards, without throwing any touchdowns or interceptions, and he contributed 71 rushing yards on eight carries for New Mexico (4-3, 1-2 Mountain West Conference). Humphrey recorded 13 carries for 58 yards, while McKinney rushed for 39 yards and caught three passes for 43 yards.
The first half of the game was a true nightmare for the Los Angeles Rams, filled with penalties, missed kicks, a costly turnover, and even a concerning injury to their standout receiver, Puka Nacua. Despite all that chaos, the Baltimore Ravens failed to make the Rams truly sweat. In the end, the Rams proved their resilience, finishing the first half with a key goal-line stand and coming out strong as Matthew Stafford orchestrated a pair of touchdowns to kick off the third quarter, leading to a 17-3 victory over the Ravens on Sunday.
Tutu Atwell hasn’t received many opportunities to make big plays in his five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He knew he finally had a chance Sunday when he looked over his shoulder to see Matthew Stafford’s perfect spiral sailing toward him, and the speedy receiver pulled it in and took it all the way home.
The University of New Mexico football team turned in a dominant second-half performance and a record-tying defensive effort to defeat rival New Mexico State 38-20 in the 15th edition of the Rio Grande Rivalry before a sell-out crowd of 37,440 fans Saturday afternoon at University Stadium.
An offense with Goff, Woods, Kupp, Gurely and Beckham would be insane! No defense ever conceived could cover all those weapons.
From NBC Sports
Rams running back Todd Gurley would be happy to give up a few touches, if it meant adding a player the caliber of Odell Beckham Jr.
Gurley was fired up about the rumored and at-this-point hypothetical possibility of the Rams trading for the Giants star, though he made it clear he thought he and coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff could make it work within the framework of an already good offense.
“Oh yeah, that’s my guy,” Gurley said of Beckham, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. “There’s always enough snaps. There’s always enough snaps.
“If we had him, man, it would be awesome. I’d be happy, Goff will be happy, coach McVay will be happy, [owner Stan] Kroenke, the whole team would be.”
Gurley was less forthcoming with confirmation that he had talked to Beckham about the possibility. There was a report that Beckham had told a couple of Rams players he was hoping to go there, but Gurley wasn’t going to admit to being one of them.
“Hmm, I don’t want to say all that,” Gurley said. “That’s my boy.”
The Rams are in the enviable position of having a quarterback on a cheap rookie contract, and the flexibility that comes with cap space not-yet-tied-up in lucrative extensions for many stars. And that means that while talk of adding another one might be premature, it’s possible, and that’s enough to get people excited.
Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald are about to destroy the NFL as we know it!
From NFL.com
The best remaining player in free agency has made a decision on where he'll be playing for at least the next year.
Ndamukong Suh is signing with the Los Angeles Rams on a one-year, $14 million deal, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday.
Suh made his decision after visiting with the Saints and Titans last week before visiting L.A. on Tuesday. He initially planned to visit the Raiders on Wednesday before deciding to skip the scheduled meetup. Despite not hosting Suh on a visit, the Jets emerged as a serious contender for his services late in the week, but rescinded their offer on Sunday.
The former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle, who was released by the team at the start of free agency last week, tallied 15.5 sacks and 181 combined tackles in his time in Miami, despite eating up double teams constantly. Since 2010, he ranks second among NFL DTs in sacks (51.5), first in QB hits (147), second in total pressures (381.5) and first in tackles for loss (103).
For NFL fans the annual draft of collegiant talent is something very much like Christmas.
Though every draft has it's fair amount of suspense, no draft in recent history has had quite this much drama. Indeed this year's draft has featured it's own version of "the ultimate question". When the Los Angeles Rams traded for the first pick in this years draft it was more than obvious to almost everyone that they would be selecting a quarterback with the selection. For over a decade the Rams have had trouble securing a high level player at the position and the acquisition of this years top pick provides the first true opportunity to acquire the type of player the team has desperately needed.
This years draft class is considered to be thin at the QB position yet two players have risen to the top of the heap, University of California's Jared Goff and University of South Dakota's Carson Wentz. Goff put up huge numbers at Cal, while Wentz showed freakish athletic ability against what is considered lower level competition.
Here's the breakdown:
Carson Wentz:
Tall with an athletic, proportional build that is made for the NFL position. Played in a pro-style attack with plenty of snaps under center. Asked to make NFL throws and showed he could do it. Stands tall in the pocket and delivers with a relatively high release point. Keeps ball high and tight in the pocket and can uncork it quickly with tight, sharp release and little wasted motion. Throws catchable ball with tight spiral. Naturally accurate passer. Sees lurking linebackers underneath and throws receivers open to safest spot in the passing window. Able to change arm slots and still throw a strike. Has plus deep ball accuracy and touch. Calm in pocket and has no problems sitting in and taking a hit to complete a pass. Excelled in structured passing attack that required him to read the entire field. Has athleticism to escape pressure and hurt defenses with his legs. Already able to feel pressure on the edges and slide around in pocket without dropping his eyes. Adept in play-action game at selling fakes and quickly finding safeties to help determine where to go with the ball. Intelligent with long list of academic achievements. Should be able to process and handle an NFL playbook quickly. Can play pitch and catch all day long against zone coverage. - NFL.com
Jared Goff:
Quality arm. Makes all the throws and can sling the deep out with velocity and accuracy. Clean release and snaps throws off with flick of the wrist. Drives hips through his release for extra heat. Pocket mobility and poise showed improvement from 2014 to 2015. Maintains proper footwork and readiness to throw as he slides inside the pocket. Speeds up internal clock when he feels pressure or recognizes blitz. Pocket climber. Able to run out of trouble rather than into it. Looks the part of a confident, first round quarterback when working from a clean pocket. Sells his play fakes with purpose and draws linebackers forward. Has learned to expedite his throws from off-balance angles due to pocket pressure. Will throw receivers open in tight quarters. Has excellent trajectory and pillowy soft touch on touch throws down the field that give receivers a chance to make plays. Showed substantial growth with his willingness to attack intermediate areas of the field and did so with accuracy and relative success. Completed an impressive 43.8 percent of his deep throws. Competes on third and long seeking out first downs over check downs. - NFL.com
If I were pulling the trigger it would be Wentz. I love a mobile QB who can make plays with his arm and legs. I also think that he has that special something ... can't put my finger on it. Something in my gut says he's going to be special.
However, Goff may be the right choice if you want a guy to stand in there and deliver passes. Nothing wrong with that if that's the kind of offense you want to run. Marino and Manning did wonders doing that. Never were a threat to take off and run. I like the other dimension though.
Blasts From The Past: Former LA Rams First Round Picks
Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson, a two-time All-America choice at Southern Methodist, was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. An immediate success, he established rookie records for most rushing attempts (390), most rushing yards gained (1,808) and most touchdowns rushing (18). His efforts earned him All-Pro, Pro Bowl, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors.
In his second season, Dickerson continued his onslaught of the NFL record book. Twelve times during that season he gained more than 100 yards rushing, breaking the record of 100-yard games in a season held by O. J. Simpson. His 2,105 total yards rushing in 1984 shattered Simpson’s 1973 record of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season.
A workhorse runner with the Rams, Dickerson gained more than 1,000 yards each of his first four seasons with the team. In three of those seasons he gained more than 1,800 yards. Although he rushed for 1,234 yards in 1985, he missed the Pro Bowl for the first time in his short NFL career. He did, however, go on to rush for a playoff record 248 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in post-season play. - Pro Football Hall of Fame
Jack Youngblood
Jack Youngblood, a 6-4, 247-pound All-America from the University of Florida, excelled for 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams from 1971 to 1984. As the 20th player selected in the first round of the 1971 draft, Youngblood made his presence felt almost immediately.
He did so well as a backup to superstar Deacon Jones at left defensive end as a rookie that the Rams traded Jones before the 1972 season. Youngblood divided his playing time with Fred Dryer that year and then took over as the starting left defensive end in his third campaign in 1973. He played with distinction at that position the rest of his 202-game career.
Youngblood, who was born January 26, 1950, in Jacksonville, Florida, was rugged, determined, a dominant defender and the Rams’ perennial quarterback sack leader. He played in a Rams’ record 201 consecutive games and only missed one game in 14 seasons, that one miss coming in his final year in 1984.
The Rams’ defensive captain, he was a three-time winner of the Dan Reeves Award given to that team’s most valuable player each season. Youngblood was All-Pro in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, and 1979 and All-NFC seven times. He played in seven straight Pro Bowls following each season from 1973 to 1979.
During his tenure, the Rams played in five NFC championship games and they advanced to Super Bowl XIV following the 1979 season. In a first-round playoff game that year, Youngblood suffered a fractured left fibula. However, he was fitted with a plastic brace and he played every defensive down in both the NFC title game and Super Bowl XIV against the Pittsburgh Steelers. - Pro Football Hall of Fame
