Vintage Matthew Stafford pulled through for the Los Angeles Rams in their comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Without two starting offensive linemen and his top two receivers in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Stafford engineered four scoring drives in the second half to earn the Rams' first win of the season.
Former Rams All-Pro offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth and his teammate compared Stafford to a cowboy with his ability to pull off a comeback.
"Matthew Stafford is like John Wayne, or a legendary cowboy," Whitworth told Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show. "He's that dude that you're like 'I'm in the huddle with one bad you know what' ... He is the dude."
Whitworth went on to gush about Stafford's toughness, especially when his supporting cast isn't playing well around him.
The former Ram got to see Stafford pull off late-game magic multiple times when they played together for one season on the Rams in 2021. Late in the 2021 season, Stafford led back-to-back touchdown drives in a narrow 20-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens. In the playoffs, Stafford helped the Rams hold off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
Perhaps Stafford put in his most clutch performance during the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals. Trailing 20-16 in the fourth quarter, Stafford led the Rams on a game-winning touchdown drive late in the game. The Bengals' offense did get the ball back, and the defense made a stop to steal the victory.
The Super Bowl might have been Stafford's peak game, but it was far from the first time he exemplified his signature grit. Through his 12 years playing for the Detroit Lions, Stafford exemplified toughness as he frequently played with injuries and lifted his team around him. With the Lions in 2016, Stafford even set the record for most fourth-quarter comebacks in a single season.
Stafford did not necessarily get the recognition he deserved for these traits in Detroit. The team was often not a contender, and he didn't accrue the attention he did when he came to the Rams and led them to a Super Bowl.
Now, Stafford is one of the top quarterbacks viewed as capable of pulling off such a comeback, which he showed again on Sunday.
