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Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
After a one-year hiccup, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams once again have visions of hoisting another Lombardi Trophy in the near future.
And that belief starts with the team’s most important asset: quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“He’s been out here leading the way,” McVay said during the team’s offseason work.
Now entering his 16th NFL season, the 36-year-old Stafford has dealt with injuries recently and hasn’t played a full schedule since 2021, when L.A. won the Super Bowl. For the team to experience any measure of success in 2024, the Rams need to keep Stafford upright.
To that end, they signed left guard Jonah Jackson away from the Detroit Lions, giving him a $51 million free-agent deal. Los Angeles also re-signed right guard Kevin Dotson to a $48 million deal and moved 2023 second-round pick Steve Avila from left guard to center, creating a stout interior offensive line to protect Stafford.
McVay understands the importance of keeping his quarterback clean as the Rams try to build off a surprising postseason run last year. Stafford’s impressive play during the second half of 2023 was a main reason why Los Angeles finished 7-1 down the stretch. Overall, they went 10-7 and reached the postseason after a nose-pinching 5-12 campaign coming off their Super Bowl season.
According to Next Gen Stats, Stafford was pressured on just 26.8% of his dropbacks from Week 11 to the end of the regular season, third-lowest in the league. For the season, the Rams allowed the sixth-fewest sacks (34) and ranked seventh in pressures allowed (213). Stafford’s 5.4% sack rate was his lowest since 2011.
During that stretch from Week 11 until the end of the regular season, Stafford completed 160 of 243 passes (65.8%) for 1,895 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions. For the season, Stafford threw for 3,965 yards even though he missed two games with a sprained ligament in his right…
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Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/rams-show-matthew-stafford-money-2024-his-last-stand-team
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Publish date : 2024-06-06 20:17:25
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