Adams knows a lot about what an MVP quarterback looks like, having played with Aaron Rodgers in three of his four seasons in Green Bay.
Stafford was shut down early and could have easily stuffed the stat sheet if the Bucs had kept the game marginally close. LA scored touchdowns on each of its first three drives, all on Stafford passes, and the Rams built a 31-7 halftime lead before taking off the gas.
“Today it was early (I felt like I was in the zone),” Stafford said. “Sometimes it takes a minute to get into it, but today felt good. I thought Sean did a heck of a job dialing it in for us early and we were able to get the pedal going.”
Perhaps most impressive for a gunslinger like Stafford is his wireless streak. He hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 3 and leads the league with 30 touchdown passes. The 30-2 TD-to-INT ratio makes him the fourth player (sixth) with 30-plus passing TDs and fewer than five INTs in his team’s first 11 games in a season, joining Tom Brady (2007 MVP season), Patrick Mahomes (2020) and Rodgers (200141 and 2020 MVP season). Only Mahomes in 2020 didn’t win the MVP.
Stafford’s 27 consecutive touchdowns without an interception tied Brady for the longest such streak in NFL history. Stafford’s streak is the longest in one season, with Brady spanning two campaigns (Week 7, 2010 – Week 1, 2011).
“It’s hard to put into words,” Adams said of Stafford’s streak. “Most quarterbacks can’t throw 27 passes without throwing a pick.”
Stafford’s brilliance without putting the ball in harm’s way is a testament to his mentality with Sean McVay, balanced offense and phenomenal production from all parts.
“When you get a quarterback like that, like a first-ballot Hall of Famer, where you just know he’s going to go out, he’s going to put up points, it makes it easier for us,” running back Jared Verse said. “But we know that every time we come down the sideline, we can breathe a little bit, we can breathe a little bit. And we’ve just got to go out there and hold them down.”
Stafford’s Hall of Fame debate will be much easier if he earns an MVP and wins another Super Bowl. Both are on the table at LA this year. McVay doesn’t see that conversation happening for a while.
“It’s a fine wine. It just gets better with age,” McVay said. “I think he’s going to play for about 10 more years.”