CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As Matthew Stafford walked out onto the field late in the fourth quarter with the chance to give the Los Angeles Rams the lead in their playoff game over the Carolina Panthers, he turned to Davante Adams.
“Let’s go snatch these guys’ hearts,” Stafford told the wide receiver, with the Rams trailing by four points.
Stafford led the Rams to a 34-31 victory with a seven-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colby Parkinson.
“It was pretty cold, just to hear that,” Adams said. “And I actually literally smiled in the moment because I thought that was one of the most gangster things you could say at that moment, honestly. And to hear him say that and the look on his face and then throw that touchdown and then the look on his face after that was just MVP stuff.”
Stafford, who was named an NFC first-team All-Pro earlier in the day, played through a hand injury he suffered late in the first half. While attempting a second-down pass to wide receiver Puka Nacua (10 receptions, 111 yards, 1 TD), Stafford said he had his finger bent backward.
“It wasn’t pleasant,” Stafford said. “It wasn’t great. We’ll see what it is. I was obviously able to finish the game and throw it decent. Once the ball’s snapped, the adrenaline’s pretty good, so we’ll hopefully just keep it going.”
Stafford, who also threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to running back Kyren Williams midway through the fourth quarter, is the fifth player in NFL history with multiple go-ahead passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a playoff game, according to ESPN Research. Stafford is the first to do it since Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 divisional round at the Kansas City Chiefs, and the first to do it in a victory since Eli Manning of the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots.
“I love those situations,” Stafford said. “I live to do it. It’s great to do it on the road too. Quieted a nice crowd today, so we’ll take it.”
Stafford finished the game with 24-of-42 passing for 304 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Stafford’s fourth-quarter success came after he and the Rams’ offense struggled on deep balls for the first three quarters. According to ESPN Research, Stafford completed 1 of 10 passes of 15 or more air yards in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Stafford was 3-of-4 on such pass attempts, including the winning touchdown pass to Parkinson.
“They brought a little bit more pressure, which kind of had been an uptick in their identity over the last couple of weeks, but he was steady,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “It was MVP-type of stuff, what he did. … I thought he saw the field really well. And that’s why we’re advancing, because of his leadership.”
