BREAKING: Matthew Stafford Can Still Sling It
The Rams may have lost in Week 14, but over their last 3 games, the offense has started to look somewhat like the 2021 version that went on to win the Super Bowl. Matthew Stafford has thrown 10 touchdown passes and just 1 interception during that stretch, and the Rams have scored more than 30 points in all three games. That includes matchups against the Browns and Ravens, whose defenses currently rank #1 and #2 respectively in DVOA.
Stafford’s first touchdown pass against Baltimore last Sunday showed that he can still do things that few other quarterbacks can, both physically and mentally.
This was a 3rd-and-goal from the Ravens’ 6-yard line. The Rams aligned in a 3x1 formation and had tight end Davis Allen quickly motion across the formation, which was a type of motion you sometimes see right before the snap. That got safety Geno Stone, to go with him:
This was an indicator that Stone would not be providing help in the middle of the field. He would instead be in man coverage on Allen.
To the other side, the Rams had Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp aligned in a stack. The Ravens matched up with 3 defenders, including safety Marcus Williams stacked over cornerback Arthur Maulet:
The 3-on-2 matchup could have been an effort to double Kupp or Nacua. Or it could have been an indicator that Maulet would blitz off the edge and Williams would be left in man coverage on whoever would be the inside #2 receiver.
The Rams then quickly motioned Kupp inside and got a little more information. The suddenness of his motion was again designed to make the Ravens think they would snap the ball while he was in motion. That got Baltimore to tip their hand again:
Both the Maulet and Williams moved inside with Kupp, and Maulet started cheating closer to the formation. He was clearly blitzing and Stafford saw it:
Now that it appeared both deep safeties would be matching up in man coverage, Stafford probably felt pretty certain that the Ravens would be playing cover-0. And this told him a couple of things.