Matthew Stafford can’t be stopped when he’s blitzed by opposing defenses this year. The Los Angeles Rams veteran quarterback has thrown 13 touchdowns against the blitz over the past three games, per NFL NextGen Stats, which is six more than any other quarterback in a three-game span over the past decade.
However, the Rams might need to rethink their strategy in Week 11. Not only will they face one of the best defenses this season in the Seattle Seahawks, but Stafford won’t be playing against another blitz-happy team.
Seattle blitzes on just 14.6% of opposing quarterback dropbacks this season, which is dead-last in the NFL. Despite that, the Seahawks are tied for eighth in pressures and tied for second in sacks. This could make things difficult for the Rams’ offense used to being blitzed — Stafford ranks seventh in blitzes faced with 77 this year.
Now, some of these blitz numbers could be inflated by two things: the Rams’ rushing attack and margin of victory.
The 49ers are blitzing at the second-lowest rate this season, but were forced to attack Stafford and try to come back in the Week 10 loss. The Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints (L.A.’s two previous opponents) were middle-of-the-pack in blitz rate. All three ended in double-digit wins for the Rams.
Meanwhile, the Rams rank 10th in rushing attempts this year, that, inevitably, opens up the passing attack.
L.A. might not be able to replicate that success against Seattle. The Seahawks have a top-10 defense against the run this year and rank fifth in points allowed (19.1 per game). Seattle’s plus-103 point differential is also second in the league this year — so this game is looking like a closer matchup than L.A.’s previous games.
Stafford has been great even when he isn’t blitzed, but the Seahawks offered a different challenge for the veteran quarterback. Seattle ranks third in quarterback hits and third in yards per completion allowed (10.0 yards), meaning they’re great at getting behind the line of scrimmage and limiting big passes.
Week 11 will be a fight for the top of the NFC West. It shouldn’t disappoint.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford continues to dominate vs. the blitz. Will it continue in Week 11?
Reporting by Tyler Greenawalt, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
