Matthew Stafford’s Clutch 4th Quarter Performance Against Panthers Has Fans Crowning Him the MVP

Matthew Stafford threw 304 yards, and three touchdowns, including a game-winning score as the Rams defeated the Panthers in the NFC wildcard round.

Matthew Stafford’s Clutch 4th Quarter Performance Against Panthers Has Fans Crowning Him the MVP

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (Image via IMAGO)

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On the day Matthew Stafford received his first-ever All-Pro honors from the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Rams quarterback made sure his team defeated the Carolina Panthers in the NFC wild-card round. Even though he completed just 54% of his attempted passes, Stafford went 12/15 in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning drive that ended with a touchdown from Colby Parkinson.

The Panthers had taken the lead with fewer than three minutes left in regulation time. Bryce Young hit wide receiver Jalen Coker for a seven-yard score. They only needed to prevent another Rams touchdown to record their first playoff win since 2015.

Cam Newton, the star of the 2015 season, beat the drum before kickoff at Bank of America Stadium and watched nervously from the stands as his beloved Panthers edged toward a memorable win—until they didn’t.

Stafford put the Rams behind his back and led a seven-play drive. The MVP frontrunner found Parkinson inside the red zone. The veteran tight end outsmarted Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig and scored a touchdown.

There was still time for the Panthers to salvage the game late on. Young threw four back-to-back incompletions and burned through a timeout before handing possession back to the Rams. Stafford took a knee as the referee blew the final whistle. According to Pro Football Focus, Stafford threw just three incompletions in the final quarter, 145 yards, one touchdown pass, and had a passer rating of 146.0.

Matthew Stafford orchestrates the game-winning touchdown drive for the Rams in the wildcard round

The 12-5 Rams arrived in Carolina as the favorites to beat the 8-9 Panthers. That being said, the analysts weren’t ready to rule out the NFC South champions, as they had upset the Rams in Week 13. Stafford threw two touchdowns in that fixture but also turned the ball over twice. Young, meanwhile, threw just five incompletions, 206 yards, and 3 touchdowns in a 31-28 victory.

Matthew Stafford's Clutch 4th Quarter Performance Against Panthers Has Fans Crowning Him the MVP
Matthew Stafford (Image via IMAGO)

On Saturday, Young struggled to connect with his receivers early on and even conceded a pick prior to the end of the first quarter when the Panthers trailed by two Puka Nacua touchdowns. The 2023 first overall pick finally made a mark by setting up Chuba Hubbard for a rushing touchdown, followed by a 16-yard carry and score.

The Panthers took their first lead after Hubbard scored his second at the start of the fourth quarter. LA reclaimed the lead through Kyren Williams before Young connected with Coker for a score. Despite the strong performance by the Panthers’ offense, the defense gave up another touchdown to the Rams.

To put it into perspective, Parkinson’s touchdown wasn’t on the cards.

Stafford’s game-winning 19-yard TD to Colby Parkinson had a completion probability of 27.3%, the 2nd-most improbable completion of the game, behind only Bryce Young’s go-ahead TD to Jalen Coker (19.7%) two minutes earlier.

The NFL’s Next Gen Stats reported

Stafford has made similar plays throughout the season, so it didn’t come as a surprise that the veteran signal caller would pull off a grandstand finish.

Stafford finished with 24 completions from 42 passing attempts for 304 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one interception. According to NFL research, Stafford is the fifth player in NFL history to have 300+ pass yards in at least 7 career playoff games.

Nacua caught 10 passes for 111 yards and two scores (one receiving and one rushing). Williams and Blake Corrum combined for 24 carries, 100+ yards, and one receiving score.

As for the Panthers, Young went 21 of 40 attempts for 264 yards, one passing, one rushing touchdown, and one interception. Hubbard had 13 carries for 46 yards and two scores. Coker caught 9 passes for 134 yards and scored one TD, while rookie Tetairoa McMillan went five for 81 yards.

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