His NFL resume includes nearly 50,000 passing yards, dozens of comeback wins and a Pro Bowl selection.
But Matthew Stafford has never won a playoff game.
In 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, Stafford went 0-3 in postseason games, his last appearance coming in 2016.
On Monday night, Stafford will continue the quest for a playoff win when the Rams play the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC Wild Card game at SoFi Stadium.
“There’s no question in the playoffs that it’s win and go or lose and go home,” Stafford said. “I am no stranger to that.
“But the most important thing for me is to try to be the best version of myself for this team and let the chips fall where they have to fall.”
Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay took a gamble on Stafford when they traded quarterback Jared Goff and two first-round draft picks to the Lions. Stafford passed for 41 touchdowns with 17 interceptions as the Rams went 12-5 and won the NFC West.
It was the first division title for Stafford, the top pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Now he has a chance to achieve another goal.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to go out and get it against Arizona,” he said.
Stafford isn’t the only Rams star player looking for his first playoff victory. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has played in only one playoff game: a New York Giants loss to the Green Bay Packers in 2017.
Since signing with the Rams in November, Beckham has five touchdown catches in eight games. But that was in the regular season.
“I don’t want to say it doesn’t mean anything,” he said of the regular season, “but it’s all about this weekend.”
Beckham has extra incentive to perform well and help the Rams win. According to a report by Joel Corry, a former agent who writes for CBSsports.com, Beckham’s contract contains $3 million in postseason incentives tied to wins, including $500,000 for a victory on Monday.
Odell Beckham has played in one playoff game, with the Giants, but gets another chance alongside fellow starting receiver Cooper Kupp (10).
(Kamil Krzaczynski / Associated Press)
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This will be the third time the Rams have played the Cardinals this season. On October 3, at SoFi Stadium, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray passed for two touchdowns and wowed the Rams with his performance in a 37-20 win. Two months later, despite a roster devastated by a coronavirus outbreak, the Rams defeated the Cardinals, 30-23, at State Farm Stadium.
The loss started the Cardinals on a three-game losing streak. They lost four of their last five games, including a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in their season finale that allowed the Rams to claim the division title.
The Cardinals, who started the season with seven straight wins and were 10-2, finished 11-6. But Rams coach Sean McVay anticipates a formidable opponent in a playoff scenario.
“This team was good enough to get in,” he said. “They won 11 of their 17 games. They beat us earlier in the year. We had to play very well to beat them at home”.
In that December victory, Stafford didn’t commit a turnover and defensive lineman Aaron Donald had three sacks.
“Aaron Donald, he trashed the whole game,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said during a conference call with Rams reporters. “I think he had as dominant a defensive performance as you’re going to see, which is not unusual for him.
“But we have to find a way to try to slow down that front as best we can.”
The Cardinals were 3-5 at home and 8-1 on the road, their only loss coming in an upset at Detroit. Kingsbury was unable to explain the discrepancy between the records on the road and at home.
Murray will face a Rams secondary lineup depleted by injuries. Safety Jordan Fuller suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the Rams’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Safety Taylor Rapp is out with a concussion.
Snead continued to beef up the roster last week when he signed safety Eric Weddle, a six-time Pro Bowl player who retired after playing for the Rams in 2019. Weddle will play in rotation with Nick Scott and Terrell Burgess.
“If it feels right and there’s no risk and we’re in a good flow, we’ll take it one snap at a time,” McVay said of the role for the 37-year-old Weddle.
Weddle joined a star-studded team that includes Stafford, Donald, Beckham, All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp, All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller.
Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP while playing for the Denver Broncos, indicated it was time for the Rams to make good on Snead’s investment.
“He’s put together a Super Bowl team,” Miller said, “and we just want to go out and play and get it.”
Donald echoed that sentiment.
“With the players that we have, you have to take advantage of it this year,” he said, adding: “We just have to go out there and execute at a high level with the great players that we have.”
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