What does the Goff-Stafford trade mean for LA Rams in 2021?

Stafford’s arrival won’t fix everything

Matthew Stafford is not a demi-god, nor a quarterback who is so far above and beyond other quarterbacks in the NFL. Because he is a rather immobile pocket-passer, he will take more sacks than Rams fans are used to. Stafford has also not enjoyed a very strong running game behind him to back up his throwing.

Quarterbacks, even veteran quarterbacks, will not be in-synch with the offense they play at first. In the first month or so, Stafford may not appear to be anything like the brochure pre-season quarterback that we or other websites will have described. He may overthrow or underthrow open receivers. He may take a pounding in some games.

But it will eventually click for Stafford and the Rams offense. And that evolution should time out as perfectly as Tom Brady’s comfort level in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense in 2020. After losing to the LA Rams and then to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bucs went on an eight-game winning streak. During that winning streak, the Bucs averaged 34 points of offense per game.

The Rams will need to play a full effort on offense, defense, and special teams to succeed this year. Stafford cannot be expected to magically make up for any and all human error. There will still be the occasional bad bounce of a football, an errant flag called on the Rams, or the non-call that appears to give a victory to the opponent. Stafford cannot stop last-minute heroics from players on opposing teams.