Former Super Bowl Champion Calls out Matthew Stafford for Not Finishing the Game Against the Seahawks, Questions His MVP Claim

Matthew Stafford threw 450+ yards, 3 touchdowns and Puka Nacua logged 200+ yards and 2 touchdown game against the Seattle Seahawks but the Rams still lost.

Former Super Bowl Champion Calls out Matthew Stafford for Not Finishing the Game Against the Seahawks, Questions His MVP Claim

Matthew Stafford and TJ Ward in circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

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A lot went down in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 16 game against the Seattle Seahawks. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford had a lot on their plate, primarily due to the antics pulled by wide receiver Puka Nacua.

Nacua was already on the front pages for the wrong reasons. He violated the league’s rule against players live-streaming from the locker room on gameday by going live on Instagram after the Rams’ 41-34 victory over the Detroit Lions in week 14.

A day before facing the Seahawks, he appeared on a stream with infamous streamer Adin Ross and performed anti-semitic gestures. The NFL was unhappy and advised the Rams to take action against the third-year wideout. Nacua apologized for his behavior.

When I appeared the other day on a social media [livestream], it was suggested to me to perform a specific movement as part of my next touchdown celebration. At the time, I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people. I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions, as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry, or hate of another group of people.

Puka Nacua expressed in his apology message

Only a Rams victory could have diverted the focus away from Nacua’s unruly actions. Stafford and the Rams began as the slight favorites against the Seahawks on Thursday. However, the fixture required overtime to settle.

Matthew Stafford is being held accountable for the Rams’ defeat against the Seahawks

The Rams cruised to a 30-14 lead after Stafford hit Nacua with a no-look touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. It went downhill from there on.

Former Super Bowl Champion Calls out Matthew Stafford for Not Finishing the Game Against the Seahawks, Questions His MVP Claim
Matthew Stafford (Image via IMAGO)

Rashid Shaheed scored a touchdown directly from a Rams punt, and tight end AJ Barner caught an endzone TD pass from Sam Darnold to bring the Seahawks within two points of the Rams’ total. Darnold’s backward pass deflected off a Rams player and landed on the ground on the two-point attempt. Running back Zach Charbonnet retrieved the ball, and the officials awarded the Seahawks two points.

The game went to overtime, and the Rams scored first. Stafford and Nacua paired up for a 41-yard touchdown run. Seattle came back once again. Darnold found his star receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, in the end zone for a touchdown, and on the PAT, he connected with veteran tight end Eric Saubert to win a 37-38 thriller for the Seahawks.

It was a disappointing result for the Rams on the day when Stafford threw 29 completions, had 457 passing yards, had 3 touchdowns, had zero interceptions, and logged a 121.22 quarterback rating against arguably the best defense in the league. On any other day, Stafford would have been felicitated with the game MVP award, but in a surprise turn of events, the veteran signal caller was held accountable for the defeat.

On a recent segment of The Arena Gridiron show, Super Bowl-winning safety TJ Ward blamed Stafford for the Rams’ loss.

Matt Stafford in the clutch did not show an MVP finish. In those situations, you have to take over the game. You can’t go 3 and out with 2 minutes left.

TJ Ward said

Regardless of Ward’s opinion, Stafford is still among the favorites to win the NFL MVP award. Stafford leads the league with 4179 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, and just 5 interceptions in 15 games.

Puka Nacua creates more problems for the Rams

Nacua capped off the Seahawks game with a career high 225 receiving yards on 12 receptions and scored 2 touchdowns. However, he wasn’t happy with the result and the officiating. After the game, he took to Twitter to question the referee’s calls.

Can you say I was wrong? Appreciate you stripes for your contribution.

Puka Nacua wrote on Twitter and later deleted the tweet

Reporters pressed McVay for a reaction during the post-game presser, but he chose not to comment on the matter.

Nacua is playing for his contract. The Rams should extend him based on his 114 receptions for 1592 yards and 8 touchdowns campaign. However, they should also take his recent actions into account before offering a substantial amount.

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