Matthew Stafford must lead the LA Rams as though he’s been here before

Going where Stafford has never gone before

Throughout the 2021 NFL season, Matthew Stafford could rely upon his NFL game-playing experience. And that was good enough to carry him, and the LA Rams, through a 17 game season. But that experience can only carry him so far. For the past three games, all playoff victories, the team’s success has been a bit of a novelty for this NFL veteran. Historically, he’s been one and done.

Now? He’s moving on, extending the season, and the team is rallying behind him.  This has not been an easy path. The Rams have had to rally for a game-winning drive in each of their last two playoff games. But Stafford has been well-poised and confident. And that confidence has exuded to his teammates. So far, so good, right?

But leading a successful team requires a lot of confidence, a ‘consultant’s confidence’ as it were. To elaborate, a consultant’s confidence is that presumption of being able to do something before you do it. In essence, whatever a consultant is asked to perform, the correct response is: “Yes, we can do that.”  If the ask is something that has not been done before, the consultant simply does the painstaking research to self-educate themselves on how to accomplish the feat.

I can do this

That is very much like Matthew Stafford portrays himself in the press conference scheduled before the NFC Championship Game.  Stafford talks about how to beat the 49ers in that one, despite never having been at this point in his NFL career to date.

So how did he do? Well, he put up 31 of 45 passes for 337 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. But perhaps more importantly, he made the throws that he needed to make when the time was running out and the game was on the line.

Will that be enough to carry the Rams to a Super Bowl victory? So far, Stafford has delivered for the Rams on each occasion when they needed him most. The team needs just one more performance, one more delivery, of the player who they traded for over a year ago. Before he arrived at the LA Rams, Matthew Stafford was 0-3 in the postseason. He’s now 3-3 in postseason play. That being said, there is no reason why he cannot end the 2021 NFL season at 4-3.