There have been two Matthew Stafford moments appropriate for framing within the Rams’ upset of the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night time.
First, a landing to Cooper Kupp. Stafford twisted freed from an unblocked defender speeding up the center, ducked beneath a second would-be tackler, then scissored his legs like a high-stepping Houdini an on the spot earlier than discovering the star receiver with a seven-yard scoring move.
Kupp mentioned he and Stafford talked in regards to the split-legged transfer that morning, having watched one other quarterback do it, and Stafford claimed he was too outdated to try it.
“I had a great view of him doing that exact thing,” Kupp mentioned. “After he threw the ball I was looking for him like, `You liar.’ He needs a little self-doubt there. He needs to doubt himself a little bit so he can see, `Oh, maybe I can do that.’”
Subsequent, a pinpoint, 25-yard landing to Demarcus Robinson. Truly, the primary choice on the play was Kupp, however Stafford gave Robinson an early indication the ball is likely to be coming to him.
“It was a little choice route inside for Cooper, but to be honest with you, something in the huddle before the snap I’m like, ‘Hey, D-Rob, be live on this,’” Stafford mentioned. “It just felt like we might catch man coverage.”
Stafford cut up two defenders — considered one of which was flagged for move interference — with an exquisitely exact throw. It was equal to the quarterback tossing the ball via an open window of a automobile zipping previous on the 405.
“Only one place he could have put that ball,” mentioned Robinson, who caught two scoring passes within the 30-20 victory.
Two weeks in the past, the Rams have been heading into their off week at 1-4 with a slew of accidents and just about circling the drain. Now, they’ve received two video games in 5 days and their world appears to be like solely completely different. They’re 1-1 within the NFC West and have 4 extra of these video games to go, starting every week from Sunday at Seattle.
The Rams have one of many youngest rosters however are nicely fitted to this sort of revival, not simply because they’ve gotten receivers Kupp and Puka Nacua again, however as a result of they’ll draw on the expertise of final season once they bounced again from a 3-6 begin to make the playoffs.
Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who grew to become Matthew Stafford’s prime goal in opposition to the Vikings, battles for yards in opposition to the Vikings protection after a reception within the first quarter. He had 106 yards receiving.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Instances)
Most notably, they’ve the even-keeled Stafford, who has made a profession of steering his staff via turbulent stretches.
“He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback, hands down,” deal with Rob Havenstein mentioned. “The stuff he can do with the football, but even more than that is just the leadership he brings, the calmness, the swag, the intensity. He’s always right mentally, and it’s just an amazing thing to see.”
The timing couldn’t be higher for the Rams, who, like furiously paddling surfers, have efficiently caught this metropolis’s swell of sports activities magic. With lower than two minutes to play and the victory in hand, the Rams posted “Good Luck, Dodgers” on the round Infinity Board suspended above the sphere.
As deflated Vikings followers made their option to the exits, tons of or perhaps hundreds of Rams followers cheered their staff with overhead Skol claps, a Minnesota ritual.
In the meantime, the Rams have established a convention of stirring Thursday night time wins. In 2018, they beat the Vikings on the Coliseum and Jared Goff had a “perfect” passer score.
In 2022, an in any other case forgettable season, Baker Mayfield orchestrated a shocking win over Las Vegas regardless of becoming a member of the Rams simply a few days earlier.
Final season the Rams beat New Orleans on a Thursday night time with Shohei Ohtani, who had simply been signed by the Dodgers, on their sideline throughout pregame warmups.
Then there was this win over the Vikings, who had been 5-0 earlier than a two-point loss to Detroit on Sunday.
With the commerce deadline coming subsequent week, there have been even some rumblings the Rams may ship Stafford to the Vikings, though Minnesota has been fairly completely happy with Sam Darnold (who, by the way, had a gaudy passer score of 128.8 on Thursday, eclipsing Stafford’s 124.5.)
There’s no indication the Stafford rumors are true, though coach Sean McVay did acknowledge that groups have reached out about Kupp.
The coach dismissed a lot of the Kupp commerce speak as “speculation” and, though he wasn’t definitive, mentioned he believes the receiver will wind up staying put.
As for his quarterback, McVay mentioned Stafford “had a look in his eye,” and, “It was like, ‘Hey, you’re coming with me because we’re going to do this thing the right way.’”
Amazon Prime famous throughout its broadcast that Stafford, 36 and chosen No. 1 general in 2009, is considered one of two gamers nonetheless energetic from that class. The opposite is New York Jets punter Thomas Morestead.
Stafford was unaware of that stat.
“Man,” he mentioned, “that’s a long time.”
To the reborn Rams, all of it feels recent and new once more.
