Just when you think Matthew Stafford is slowing down, he again shows he is one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
In his age 37 season (2025), Stafford led the Los Angeles Rams to the NFC Championship Game, where they were finally eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Following the season, Stafford was voted the 2025 MVP.
Washington defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is absolutely certain Stafford can still very much hurt an opposing defense. He is busy preparing for Sunday’s matchup, when the Rams will play the Commanders at Northwest Stadium at 1 PM.
Matthew Stafford in the first half:
— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026
🐏 17/19
🐏 148 pass yards
🐏 3 TDs pic.twitter.com/A1BRuGGg37
"He gets the ball out so fast, so quick. He’s seen a lot of defenses
in his years. Obviously, he’s coming off of an MVP year, and also (there is) [Rams head coach] Sean McVay in what he’s done for the league in terms of the coaching tree he has produced around the league.”
The Rams’ 4-4 record can be rather deceptive at first glance. The Rams have produced the NFL's top yardage differential thus far. However, it has been turnovers that have kept the Rams from being 6-2 or 7-1. For instance, Stafford has four games this season where he has completed over 70 percent of his pass attempts (71.0, 74.1, 75.8, 79.3).
Jones knows the Rams’ success can still largely depend on what Stafford does with the ball.
“Obviously, there is a foundation there; there’s a protection scheme there. There’s obviously a philosophy that allows the blitz to sometimes not be as successful because of the way Matthew Stafford sees the game.”
Mentioning the turnovers earlier. One thing to note, though, is that Stafford leads the NFL with 204 completions and has already thrown for 15 touchdown passes; he has also thrown eight interceptions. You can bet Jones is fully aware of those numbers and is lying awake at night trying to figure out, ‘Is there a way his defense can get to Stafford enough to force some takeaways for the Commanders defense?’
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders DC Daronte Jones knows how dangerous Rams' Matthew Stafford is
