One month of football remains for the majority of the league, but for those teams good enough—or lucky enough to play in an uncompetitive division—there’s a chance to continue their 2025 season beyond the Gregorian calendar.
This week, we had the pleasure of connecting with Evan Craig from Turf Show Times, to give us some insight into what many consider to be the cream of the NFC’s crop. We learned about how Matthew Stafford is playing the best football of his career at age 37, an under-the-radar
signing at linebacker that’s propelled the Rams’ defense to new heights, and why Craig thinks the team who has the ball last will win this high-stakes matchup.
Matthew Stafford is having one of his best seasons from a statistical standpoint: 35 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions. Do you feel like Stafford, at age 37, is playing his best football since arriving in Los Angeles, and if so, what about his game is leading him to having such a successful season? Do you think he deserves to be the favorite for the league’s MVP award?
Matthew Stafford is easily playing the best football of his career, and it’s not even remotely close. In his first season with the Rams, he won a Super Bowl and all, and even tied a career-high with 41 touchdown passes, yet he also tied Trevor Lawrence for the most interceptions in the league at 17. He was really good that season, but not as great as he has been this season. In his other three seasons following that title run, he put up solid stats but nothing particularly game-changing. During that span, he did enough to win games for them; he just didn’t take over games as he has been doing this year.
The reason Stafford’s playing the best football of his career is that he and Sean McVay finally seem to be in sync, meaning the offense has a better flow to it than it has ever had during his tenure. McVay finally having a quarterback that he can fully trust (sorry, Jared Goff) means that he can call any play from his playbook and knows his quarterback can execute it. Stafford has simply been playing smarter football as well. Aside from the three-turnover outing in Carolina, he had an eight-game interception-less streak and even set an NFL record by throwing 28 touchdowns between interceptions. Having guys like Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to throw to every week also helps, given that those guys have an excellent nose for the ball and can make adjustments on the fly.
For a while, I had considered Stafford in a two-man race with Jonathan Taylor. Now that the Colts are free-falling and lost Daniel Jones for the season, he’s out of contention. So, MVP is likely coming down to the Rams QB and Drake Maye. I’d give Stafford the nod here only because, fair or not, the Rams have played a tougher schedule compared to the Patriots. That is not to take away from the job Maye’s done in New England, but some voters might be more willing to vote for the veteran who’s long overdue compared to the young guy who should theoretically have more opportunities to win beyond ’25.
One of the more frustrating aspects of Stafford’s time in Detroit was the inability for the team to cultivate a dependable run game for the offense. The Rams have the No. 1 rushing offense according to DVOA (17.2%) and the tandem of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum have proven to be one heckuva one-two punch.
What’s led to the Rams’ run game taking such a big step from last year to this year?
I’ve called this the best supporting cast of Matthew Stafford’s career, especially in Hollywood. Again, that’s including the team that won a freaking Super Bowl in his first season there. Les Snead selecting former Michigan star Blake Corum in last year’s draft truly was a stroke of genius. It only took a season for Sean McVay to figure out how to use him.
Corum wasn’t on the field much during his rookie season, and it was frustrating for fans to rarely see him, even when Kyren Williams was struggling with fumbling issues. Fast-forward to this year, and Corum is the second-leading rusher on the team with 550 yards and is coming off the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career. Why? Because he’s actually been given more opportunities and is making the most of them when he has the ball. It’s nice to see that Williams doesn’t have to do it alone, and maybe due to seeing a dip in carries, he doesn’t feel all that pressure to be the sole rushing option and hasn’t fumbled as much as a result.
Whatever the reason, it’s a pleasure to watch Williams and Corum every week, since they complement each other perfectly.
The Rams suffered a rash of injuries a few weeks ago and placed three important contributors on injured reserve: safety Quentin Lake, offensive tackle Rob Havenstein, and tight end Tyler Higbee.
How have the Rams adjusted to these players being out, and what can we expect to see from their replacements this Sunday?
We’ll start with Rob Havenstein, whose injury has been a blessing in disguise, as it’s allowed fans to see how good Warren McClendon Jr. is. McClendon has been excellent in run and pass blocking, and hasn’t given up a sack in 296 snaps, per PFF. Havenstein has been one of the longest-tenured Rams, but his production has significantly dropped off, and McClendon has been the better option. Whether the coaching staff sticks with him long-term remains to be seen, but expect a gritty showing from the young stud who’s been playing out of his mind.
The tight end position has been a weak spot for the Rams all season, so losing a veteran like Tyler Higbee hasn’t made much of a difference. Colby Parkinson has been the player who has stepped up in his absence and has shown some steady growth over the last few weeks. Parkinson has flown vastly under the radar compared to the stars on offense and has caught a touchdown in four of the last five games. If Stafford moves off Adams in the red zone, Parkinson is the one to keep an eye on in that spot.
Finally, losing Quentin Lake was the toughest injury of all. Lake was a captain and a primary cog in run defense, and his absence was felt in the Panthers loss. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula has tried to replace him with a mix of Cobie Durant and Josh Wallace, along with the team’s other safeties. Now, there’s a chance Lake will come back before the playoffs, but there’s not an ideal way to replace him because of everything he brings to the defense. I’m not entirely sure what to expect from their replacements on Sunday. What’s been done has been a band-aid on a bad situation, and so far, the dam hasn’t completely broken… yet.
One of the best defensive fronts in football, the Rams are 10th in QB pressure rate (36.2%), t-6th in sacks (36), and t-3rd in EPA/pass (-0.17). They’re third in team defense DVOA (-15.0%), t-4th in EPA/rush (-0.10), and t-5th in yards per carry (3.9) despite stacking the box just 19.8% of the time.
Who has been the defensive MVP of the Rams so far this season, and who is someone who’s flown under the national radar as a difference maker for this defense?
This is a tough choice because there are so many players on this roster who are deserving, but I’m going to give the nod to linebacker Nate Landman. Landman has been the man in his first season with the Rams after leaving the Falcons in free agency this offseason. The veteran leads the team with 108 combined tackles and 4 forced fumbles. He also got his first interception last week against the Cardinals, and the offense immediately capitalized with a Matthew Stafford touchdown strike to Puka Nacua. Landman has also played the hero at times, most notably in the season-opening win over the Texans when he forced a game-sealing fumble with Houston driving. The Rams have not prioritized the linebacker position during the McVay era, yet recently rewarded Landman with a three-year extension. Hopefully, he’ll be a key piece on the defense for years to come.
When people think of the Rams’ young pass rushers, they immediately turn to Jared Verse, who’s been a stud as expected this season. However, it’s linebacker Byron Young who leads the unit with 11 sacks and 22 QB hits, only one [fewer] than Verse. Additionally, Young is third on the team in tackles and also leads the group with 10 tackles for loss. The third-year LB might be the closest thing the Rams have to a Micah Parsons-type game wrecker. He has insane speed and is all over the field. He may not get anywhere close to the attention Parsons does, but he’ll still give your offense fits if you’re not careful.
The Rams are currently 5.5-point favorites ahead of this matchup with the Lions. What do you think this game will look like if the Rams cover that number, and what would it look like for the Rams if the Lions pull off the upset?
I’m fully expecting this to be a very close game with the Rams covering the spread, and whoever has the ball last will win. The last two matchups have been decided by a combined seven points. Detroit still has one of the NFL’s best rosters, and too many people in the national media have seemingly forgotten that. Both teams should come out well-prepared, and with this one in Los Angeles, I see the Rams eking out a nail-biter against a Lions team that has given them issues at Ford Field over the last two seasons.
That said, if the Lions do pull off the upset, it will only make it tougher on the Rams to earn the NFC’s top seed. L.A. is already hanging onto it by the skin of their teeth and has the Packers to thank for knocking off the Bears to put them back on top of the conference. All three of the Rams’ losses have come to NFC opponents (Eagles, 49ers and Panthers), so one more loss to an in-conference opponent is likely to kill their chances, even if they finish tied with the best record.
