Matthew Stafford doesn’t have to carry the Rams anymore. That’s the real shift, and it might be the thing that makes Los Angeles dangerous in 2026.
For most of his run in Detroit, Stafford lived in a world where the margin for error was tiny. The Lions asked a lot of him because the rest of the roster often didn’t give him much.
Even before he finally broke through with a Super Bowl in Year 1 with the Rams, plenty of NFL fans were happy to point to his 0-3 playoff record and leave him out of the elite-quarterback conversation. He was trying to drag Detroit forward with limited help, rarely backed by a rushing attack and seldom protected by a dependable defense.
Then came the change. After 12 seasons in Detroit and a 5-11 finish in 2020, Stafford wanted a real shot at the postseason.
Since landing in Los Angeles in 2021, he has missed the playoffs only once in five years, and that came in the wrecked 2022 season that was hit, in part, by his midseason back injury. With the Rams, he’s gone 7-3 in the playoffs, and the setup around him has looked very different: better rushing, stronger defenses in most seasons, and a steady stream of high-end pass catchers.
This year, the support could be the best it’s ever been.
That doesn’t mean Stafford has had no help before. Back in 2014, he guided the Lions to an 11-5 record.
That team ran for just 88.8 yards per game, but the defense was excellent, giving up only 300.9 yards and 17.6 points a game. Even so, Detroit’s high point under Stafford ended in a 24-20 playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Rams’ early Stafford years were different, but still not built around a dominant ground game. When he arrived in LA, the offense averaged 99 rushing yards per game. The defense wasn’t as imposing as that 2014 Detroit unit, but Raheem Morris’s group was good enough, allowing 21.9 points per game, which ranked 15th in the league.
Last season, though, the whole offense took off. The Rams scored 30.6 points per game, and it wasn’t just Stafford slinging it around. LA averaged 126.5 rushing yards, scored 17 times on the ground, and the running backs lost only two fumbles.
There were still cracks elsewhere. Special teams were a mess, and the defense had trouble finishing games late. The cornerback group, in particular, fell apart.
Even so, the signs point toward a better overall team around Stafford now. The offense looks primed to be even more dangerous after training camp showed catch rates improving across the board.
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are both chasing 1000-yard seasons. Sean McVay is also set to keep leaning on multiple tight ends, with five on the roster.
On the other side of the ball, the Rams made moves this offseason to keep pace in a tough NFC West. Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson are part of a group that was already trending up.
That’s the formula Les Snead is banking on: Stafford gets a lead, the run game keeps rolling, and the defense does enough to put pressure on opposing passers. In other words, Los Angeles does not need Stafford to be MVP Stafford in 2026.
And that’s what makes him even more dangerous.
In Other News...
Rams Secondary Overhaul Suddenly Looks Bigger Than Fans Realized
The Rams spent the offseason reshaping the back end of their defense, and the cornerback additions are the kind of moves that can change how a secondary looks from the first snap of the season onward. Around the league, a handful of notable defensive backs changed teams, but Los Angeles stands out because it brought in both Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie, two names that immediately change the conversation about depth, matchups and week-to-week stability.
Watson and McDuffie arrive with different resumes, but the common thread is that each gives the Rams a real chance to raise the floor of a unit that needed fresh answers. The broader league context matters here too, with Chris Johnson landing in Miami, Benjamin St-Juste going to Green Bay and Jamel Dean heading to Pittsburgh, but Los Angeles may have made the most intriguing bet on upside. How quickly that overhaul clicks will go a long way toward showing whether the Rams just added bodies or truly changed the shape of their secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Are Testing A Risky Australia Plan Before NFL History
The Rams have already started treating Melbourne like a dry run, sending employees to Australia to work through the logistics of what would be the NFLs first regular-season game there. The goal is less about sightseeing than survival: charting the travel, the flight experience, sleep, fatigue and recovery so the team can understand what it might feel like to arrive halfway around the world and still be ready to play soon after.
It is a more aggressive approach than the one other teams, such as the 49ers, are expected to take, with San Francisco planning to get to Melbourne a week early. For the Rams, the question is whether the league can turn a historic event into a workable football week without giving away too much on the front end, and the answer may shape how future international games are handled. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Just Sent Their Strongest Signal Yet About Melbourne
The Seahawks are pushing deeper into the Australia-New Zealand market, and their latest move gives the plan some real structure. Seattle announced a strategic partnership with Collingwood, linking the NFL club with one of the AFLs biggest names as part of its marketing rights under the leagues Global Markets program. It is the kind of cross-sport alignment the NFL has been chasing overseas, with both sides now trying to grow interest by connecting established fan bases rather than starting from scratch.
Melbourne is a big part of the picture, too, because the two clubs will co-host a kids AFL and NFL crossover flag football clinic there. For Seattle, it is another sign that this is more than a branding exercise and more about building a foothold in a region where competition for attention is fierce. For the Rams and the rest of the NFC West, it is a reminder that the Seahawks are still looking for every possible edge off the field as much as on it. [Read more 🡒]