Even dating back to his days in Detroit, Matthew Stafford has long been one of the NFL’s most clutch quarterbacks. He ranks fourth all-time in fourth-quarter comebacks (39) and fifth in game-winning drives (50), often putting the team on his back and pulling off heroic throws in the biggest moments.
During last season’s MVP campaign, Stafford didn’t have to lead many game-winning drives or fourth-quarter comebacks because he and the Rams had a lot of leads at the end of games. He finished the season with just one comeback and one game-winning drive, but he was still clutch, according to Pro Football Focus.
In PFF’s QB Annual, Stafford graded out as the second-most clutch quarterback in football last season, earning a passing grade of 87.4 in clutch situations. Only Dak Prescott finished ahead of him with a grade of 87.8. What helped Stafford was his lack of turnover-worthy plays, and his high rate of big-time throws.
Matthew Stafford generated 14 big-time throws against just three turnover-worthy plays across 156 dropbacks in clutch situations. His 8.59% big-time throw rate ranked third among qualifying quarterbacks, while his 8.6 yards per attempt also ranked third.
Just as importantly, Stafford limited negative plays under pressure, taking a sack on only 9.6% of his pressured dropbacks in these high-leverage moments. The result was another elite season in a category where he has repeatedly excelled. His 91.6 clutch grade in 2021 remains the second-highest single-season mark of the PFF era, and 2025 showed he is still capable of producing at a similar level.
There’s no quarterback the Rams would rather have under center with the game on the line. Stafford has proved time and time again that he can deliver late in the fourth quarter, just as he did during the Rams’ Super Bowl run in 2021 and all throughout this past season.
Given the quality of opponents Los Angeles will face in 2026, you can bet Stafford will be called upon late in games once again this season.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Where did Matthew Stafford rank among NFL’s most clutch QBs in 2025?
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
