Matthew Stafford was at his best in 2025 exactly when the Los Angeles Rams needed him most. Stafford led all NFL quarterbacks in expected points added per dropback while trailing in the second half at +0.45, per Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, ahead of Jordan Love (+0.31), Bo Nix (+0.28), Josh Allen (+0.28) and Caleb Williams (+0.27).
Fortunately for L.A., they didn’t need Stafford to play from behind much. The Rams led for 505 of their 1,135 offensive snaps in 2025, the fifth-most in the league, per Sharp. But even still, Stafford didn’t need a comfortable lead to be efficient. In the second half overall, Stafford completed 65.17% of his passes for 2,209 yards, 25 touchdowns and just a single interception across 267 attempts, good for a 120.5 rating, a sizable jump from his 98.6 rating and seven interceptions in the first half.
While trailing specifically, Stafford completed 65.04% of his throws for 2,024 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions, posting a 108.7 rating and a 9.60 adjusted yards per attempt, which was slightly better than his mark when leading — 9.48. Late in games, the picture gets more nuanced: with less than four minutes to go and trailing, Stafford went 9-for-20 for 99 yards, two touchdowns and a 93.5 rating. With less than two minutes and trailing, Stafford’s numbers dipped to 5-for-16 for 50 yards and a 41.1 rating, though that’s a small sample against what were likely the league’s most desperate, all-out pass rushes.
Taken together, the data paints a picture of a quarterback who elevated as games got tighter, protected the ball at an elite rate in the second half, and gave the Rams a real chance to come back rather than folding once behind. That’s the kind of production that shows up in win totals as much as box scores, and it’s a major reason Los Angeles finished with a top-five offense in 2025. They’ll look for that production to continue as they search for another Super Bowl in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford was the best QB in NFL when trailing in second half
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
