Don't look for Rams QB Matthew Stafford to hang up his cleats just yet

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Rams have to reformulate the offense if Stafford is a no go

If you have not noticed it yet, let me be the one to break the news to you. Now in his third NFL season in the LA Rams offense, Matthew Stafford has a completion rate of 65.7 percent. But in 2023, Stafford's season completion rate has plummeted to just 60.8 percent. Now, hold that thought, because we will be coming back to it soon.

We know the LA Rams depend heavily upon Stafford's passing to help win ball games. But the Rams' offense does not leverage that respect for Stafford's ability to threaten defenses enough, in my opinion. What I mean is this. The LA Rams pivot far too often to a pass-centric offensive game plan that fails to succeed in victories, places Stafford unnecessarily in harm's way, and plays right into the hands of savvy defenses.

Stafford shines when Rams run

The Rams are 5-5 with Stafford under center. And in all but four games, Stafford's completion percentage for games has been under 62 percent. So what is the common element that helps Stafford buoy his completion percentage? Running the football. Let's create a data table to illustrate that fact:

Week	Opponent	# Runs	Completion %	Yards	TDs	INTs
1 - W	Seahawks	40	63.2	334	0	0
2 - L	49ers	22	61.8	307	1	2
3 - L	Bengals	13	54.5	269	1	2
4 - W OT	Colts	36	67.5	319	1	1
5 - L	Eagles	14	56.8	222	2	0
6 - W	Cardinals	28	62.5	226	1	0
7 - L	Steelers	31	48.3	231	1	1
8 - L	Cowboys	24	59.1	162	1	1
11 - W	Seahawks	27	54.8	190	1	1
12 - W	Cardinals	33	75.8	229	4	1
Totals		268	60.8	2489	13	9

What do you see in the data above? Well, there is a correlation for the LA Rams between Matthew Stafford's accuracy at throwing the football and the Rams commitment to run. You may note that after the Cardinals win, the Rams lost RB Kyren Williams for four games. He returned in Week 12, and the Rams offense was able to pulverize the Arizona Cardinals.

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