Matthew Stafford, Rams Stayed Pass-Leaving Before Getting Merciful

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Mon, Nov 3 2025 8:36 PM UTC

The Rams entered Sunday as the league's most pass-heavy offense since Week 5, by pass rate over expected. The 43 team carries vs. 32 pass attempts in the victory over New Orleans might seem to signal a change on that front. But the Rams didn't lean run until the second half of a lopsided victory. QB Matthew Stafford went 18-of-23 passing for 215 yards and 3 TDs in the first half alone. He finished 24-of-32 for 281 yards and 4 TDs (among five the team scored in all).

What They're Saying

Nate Atkins of The Athletic: "This is the best, most comfortable version of Stafford. The one the Rams hoped he'd get back to after his offensive line collapsed in 2022 and the receiving corps limped to the finish line last year. The one they prayed would be healthy enough this season after they sat him for weeks in training camp to manage a degenerative back issue."

HC Sean McVay: "It's just great command, great understanding of what he's seeing, great ability to be able to distribute the ball based on what the coverage dictates. I think he's pushing the ball. I think he's understanding situationally what's the right way to be able to play it. I just have total confidence where you can call the game through him."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Stafford has now tossed:

2+ TD passes in six of his past seven games
3+ TDs in four of his past five
and 4+ TDs in two straight, sandwiching a Week 8 bye

It's not hard to understand why McVay has that confidence. And calling the game "through" Stafford sounds like a path that should keep the QB steadily in the starting mix for fantasy usage.

The Rams get a below-average set of matchups for QB scoring the rest of the way, but a Week 17 visit to Atlanta is the only one that rates as a truly negative spot right now by our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Stafford looks like at least the steadier half of a worthwhile QB platoon in 1-QB fantasy formats the rest of the way.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.