No championships were won at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon, but the smile on Matthew Stafford’s face, the one Fox kept showing through the Rams’ showdown with the Buccaneers, was wide enough to make you believe otherwise. And over the phone, a half hour after it was over, Stafford made it abundantly clear that his glow still hadn’t dimmed.
“I’m having a blast,” he volunteered. “I’m having a great time.”
Winning, as always, helps. And the Rams did win the game that Stafford had just finished.
But this felt like more than just that. Maybe it’s being out of a situation that so often felt hopeless, as much as he tried to make it, well, not . Maybe it’s getting to see where he can take his game, given advantages he’s so often seen other quarterbacks granted. Maybe it’s the coach he’s working with. Maybe it’s living in Southern California. Maybe it’s just the newness of getting to start over and reinvent himself, to a degree, as a professional athlete.
Or maybe it’s all of those things. And the stage he got to enjoy them on Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t often that Stafford got to play in the kind of game was watching over his 13 seasons on the Lions, which is exactly what Sunday’s game at SoFi Stadium was. The defending champion Bucs in town. A raucous crowd on hand. Real, true-to-life stakes being fought over in September. And a mano a mano heavyweight quarterback matchup.
Sixty minutes of football later, we know this: The stage sure wasn’t too big for the 33-year-old, and as a result he’s not done getting to perform on this kind of platform. Stafford absolutely sparkled against Tom Brady’s Buccaneers, throwing for 343 yards, four scores without a pick, and a 134.0 passer rating. And the rest of the Rams followed his lead, taking control early and holding a double-digit lead for the game’s final 22 minutes.
“It was a lot of fun going up against Tampa,” Stafford said. “Obviously, Tom’s playing at a really high level. They’re a really well-coached team, so we knew we had our hands full and I was just proud of how we played. It was a total team win. I thought our defense did a hell of a job, and we were able to put enough points on the board there to get the win. But as far as something being unique, I mean I’m just enjoying my situation right now.
“I’m enjoying playing ball for the Rams, leading these guys, and I’m having a blast doing it. That’s the biggest thing I took away from today.”
If he and Sean McVay have their way, the fun’s just beginning in L.A.
And by the way, on this Sunday of Week 3, that fun in L.A. wasn’t just confined to what the Rams were doing in their new palace.
