NFL analyst claims Matthew Stafford is declining: “He's older, he's just not physically what he was"
Although Matthew Stafford may be the reigning Super Bowl-winning starting quarterback in the NFL, one analyst has claimed that he's declining. Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, NFL analyst Chris Long delivered an early but growing sentiment surrounding the quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams. Here's how he put it:
"Matt Stafford is effectively a Detroit Lion again... I mean, like where you got no run game, you got one great target. Obviously, Kupp's not Megatron, but you're having trouble running the football and you're taking a beating and he's older, he's just not physically what he was."
I like how Matthew Stafford doesn’t even pretend to look to Allen Robinson’s side.
He went on, offering the Rams a potential solution after losing to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday:
"I think the biggest thing is when Sean McVay and that group was rolling, they had Todd Gurley and Todd Gurley did not get enough credit. He made them go. The play-action game made them go... They had good guards, good tackles, and they worked in concert. You could get big plays off of play-action… Stafford, as good as he is, you need a run game."
The Cowboys defense just beat the mess out of Matthew Stafford this afternoon.
Matthew Stafford's pace in 2022 versus 2021
In 2021, Stafford tied his all-time record for passing touchdowns. In 2011, he threw for 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. In 2021, he threw for 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. However, the quarterback has not stayed on the same pace this season.
Through five games, he's thrown for five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Last season, through the first five games, the quarterback threw for 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. In other words, his interceptions are more than double what they were last year and his touchdowns are less than half of what they were in 2021.
The quarterback will look to help his team return to .500 when they face the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have just lost Baker Mayfield for a couple of weeks and head coach Matt Rhule was recently fired.
Carolina will take on their next few opponents with PJ Walker at quarterback and Steve Wilks as the interim head coach. A rough series of games lie ahead for the Panthers as they settle into their new reality.
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit the Rich Eisen Show and H/T Sportskeeda.