Matthew Stafford credited his teammates and especially the defense for their 20-17 victory against the Bears. The 45-year old Rams’ quarterback shared that he was pleased with how they played and for making it ahead in the postseason, but still needs to improve.

The Rams did not make the playoffs in 2022 due to injuries and roster changes after their Super Bowl victory in the 2021 season. The years since have not seen the team make it far in the postseason. Thus, this NFC Championship is quite a notable chapter in terms of bouncing back.

Stafford hails the defense's overtime playoff win

In a post-game press conference, Stafford shared that some days one unit does better than the other. He stressed that it was a team effort and that he is grateful for them, despite some shortcomings. 

“Sometimes offence can go out, have a great day and find a way to win it, sometimes defense’s gonna go out there and have a day like they did today and keep us in. It’s a team effort, and we got a resilient group, love being a part of it.”

“Obviously things we can do better, but we found a way to win a football game,” he added.

He also shared the exchange he had with his head coach, Sean McVay, upon qualifying for his first NFC Championship round since 2022. He said the defense played clutch and timely in getting the ball to his unit.

“I looked at Sean, and he looked at me, and ‘I’m like here we go.’ That’s what it’s all about, what an unbelievable job, you know, like I already said, by our defense today. Gettin’ us the ball over and over again, whether first downs or turnovers, they were clutch and timely. And that’s what it takes to win the playoffs,” he commented.

The Bears had three turnovers during Sunday’s game, whereas the Rams had none. Their offense struggled, as the 174 yards across three quarters can attest, unlike the defense unit, which stepped up.

Kam Curl, their safety, intercepted Caleb Williams in overtime, which led to the Rams making their game-winning 42-yard field goal. Before Curl, cornerback Cobie Durant had made two interceptions. This game comes second to a franchise record for most interceptions in a playoff game. In 2001, the Rams intercepted the Steelers six times.

On the flip side, Stafford neither threw any interceptions nor touchdowns. However, before the winning drive, he looked at McVay and made three successful passes for first downs. One of them was a 16-yard pass to Puka Nacua, which got them into the field goal range. 

Stafford completed only 20 out of 42 passes in this game. The Bears gave them a tough competition, and they are set to face the Seahawks next weekend.

Will the Rams better themselves by then? Tell us what you think!

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Joyita Das