Despite being under consistent pressure for much of the Los Angeles Rams' Week 4 battle against the Chicago Bears, Matthew Stafford still had a chance to secure a win on the final drive of the game, down just six with a little over a minute to go.
Starting the drive at their own eight-yard line, fans didn't get to see if Stafford could pull a rabbit out of his old bag of tricks and secure yet another game-winning drive, as on the very first snap of the drive, he was picked off by Jaquan Brisker and effectively watched any chance of a 2-2 record come to a crushing end.
So what happened? Did Stafford have an issue with his protection or with the fact that a flag wasn't thrown, even if some fans thought it should have been? Well, Stafford decided to take the high road, telling reporters he still needed to watch the play instead of calling anyone out.
“No. Football is football. Those guys are doing the best job they can. I totally understand,” Stafford told reporters. “They did a nice job in the second half of creating a little bit of pressure and getting to us a little bit, but there were a couple there that — I got to go look. I'm in the heat of the moment. I don't really know. I'm just back there trying to stand in there as best I can and throw it around. So obviously one I wish I had back and could step through it a little bit more, something to even sail it out of bounds to keep us alive, but I have to go look at it.”
Should Stafford be angry about how poorly things have been going in LA this season? Maybe so, as he's been afforded a vintage Lions-esque supporting case due to a series of injuries and suspensions. Still, good on the NFL's oldest starting QB for taking the high road, as his stoic leadership is a big reason why the Rams haven't fallen apart under near-constant pressure.
Sean McVay was overall proud of Matthew Stafford in Week 4
Related Los Angeles Rams NewsArticle continues below
While Stafford didn't want to name any names after Week 4, Sean McVay was more than happy to give Stafford credit for what he did against the Bears and overall this season, as things haven't exactly been easy for the former first-overall pick.
“I thought there were some really good things. I thought there were a couple of times we weren't targeted accurately, and he took some unnecessary hits,” McVay told reporters. “Obviously, he is hit as he is attempting the one where we maybe give ourselves a chance to try to win the thing in dramatic fashion, but he did a lot of good things. I'm interested to look at the tape to see some of the things that we can improve on collectively around him with just the overall fundamentals, techniques, ability to execute. Then, like I'll always say, I certainly want to be able to try to make sure I'm putting him in spots to succeed as well. (He) did a lot of good things today.”
Are there areas where Stafford can improve? Sure thing, but the Rams could also dial up some easier passes for him to complete underneath to neutralize the rush and could put the ball in Kyren Williams' hands more often to ease the burden moving forward. If the Rams are going to turn around, McVay needs to make those adjustments.
