There was no lack of questions about Matthew Stafford this offseason, from his health to his ability to keep playing at a high level at the age of 35. But in Week 1 against the Seahawks, the Rams’ veteran quarterback silenced a lot of his doubters with an absolutely fantastic performance.
Stafford completed 24 of his 38 passes for 334 yards, and though he didn’t have a touchdown, he also didn’t come close to turning it over. And he had those numbers despite his receivers dropping three passes, including a deep shot to Van Jefferson that hit him in both hands with no defender in sneezing distance.
It easily could’ve been a 375-yard day for Stafford, but regardless, he put on a show with some very Stafford-like throws throughout the game.
Pro Football Focus loved the way he played, grading him very highly in Week 1. PFF gave him an overall grade of 91.1, which ranked second-best among all quarterbacks. Only Tua Tagovailoa had a higher grade, but just barely: 92.1. The next-closest quarterback behind Stafford was Trevor Lawrence at 86.3, so there was a wide gap after Tagovailoa and Stafford.
The highest-graded QBs in Week 1
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— PFF (@PFF) September 12, 2023
Stafford will be tested in a much bigger way this coming weekend when the Rams face the 49ers, a defense that held the Steelers to just seven points in Week 1.
It doesn’t help that he won’t have Cooper Kupp on the field with him but Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell were up to the task last week with 119-yard performances each.