The 49ers are 8-3 in games against Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. However, the 16-year NFL veteran is a proven Super Bowl champion and remains hard to stop for even the best defenses.
49ers president of football operations and general manager John Lynch is weary of Stafford’s talents entering San Francisco’s Week 15 “Thursday Night Football” game against Los Angeles. In the latest episode of NBC Sports Bay Area’s “49ers Game Plan,” Lynch explained to Greg Papa what makes Stafford’s game difficult to stop.
“Pressure in his face -- and that doesn’t do the job all the time with a guy like him,” Lynch told Papa about Stafford. “The toughness, above all else. Everybody talks about the talent and arm angles, but this dude is a tough guy. He can get hit and knocked down, but he just keeps coming.
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“You know you have to play four quarters versus a Matthew Stafford-led team. I think the other thing is what I spoke to -- the arm angles, no-look passes; it’s really bold what he does, it blows my mind. He did it in the Super Bowl, looking over here throwing it over the middle of the field.”
Lynch knows Stafford demands the best of opposing defenses, while also admiring how the quarterback never goes down without a fight.
Over 219 career games, Stafford has thrown for 59,350 yards and 376 touchdowns with 187 interceptions. Against the 49ers, Stafford has thrown for 2,958 yards and 17 scores with nine picks.
Stafford helped lead the Rams to a comeback 27-24 win over the 49ers at SoFi Stadium in Week 3 and will be looking to do the same under the Levi’s Stadium lights. Lynch, as he mentioned, understands that Los Angeles goes as Stafford takes them.
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“He’s taken an offense, his familiarity, he’s really in synch with Sean McVay as a play-caller,” Lynch told Papa. “He’s got great receivers [and] skill players. It’s a formidable challenge every time you play a Matthew Stafford-led team.”
Stafford has kept the Rams competitive over his four years in Hollywood. Wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua sure are helpful hands, too.
The Rams are no mystery to the 49ers. Still, San Francisco will have its hands full against Stafford and its always-challenging opponent.