Whatever the circumstance — cold, snow, rain, wind, noise — Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is cool, calm and collected.
But the 17th-year pro is not quiet.
Especially in the huddle. Especially at decibel-delirious Lumen Field in Seattle.
“He’s screaming,” tight end Davis Allen said Wednesday, chuckling. “He’s not talking normal, that’s for sure… He does a great job making sure guys are where they need to be.”
Since joining the Rams in 2021, Stafford is 3-1 at Lumen Field, where the Rams will play the Seahawks on Sunday in the NFC championship game.
Asked how he thought he had played in Seattle, Stafford instantly ticked through all of the Rams’ performances.
A Thursday night victory in 2021. Sitting out 2022 because of injury. A walk-off touchdown pass to win in overtime in 2024, and an overtime loss this season in Week 16.
“It’s always a great environment,” Stafford said.
Stafford, 37, aims to continue what has been an MVP-level season with a victory that would give him a shot at a second Super Bowl title.
Two weeks ago, Stafford engineered a game-winning touchdown drive in a wild-card victory over the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C.. Last Sunday, he led a game-winning field-goal drive in overtime to beat the Chicago Bears in Chicago.
Stafford, who suffered a sprained right index finger against the Panthers, was not at his best for most of the game against the Bears.
On a cold, snowy and windy night at Soldier Field, Stafford completed only 20 of 42 passes for 258 yards, with no touchdowns.
His 47.6% completion percentage was the lowest of his 12-game playoff career, and the lowest since a 48.3% performance in a 2023 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at SoFi Stadium.
But Stafford is expected to bounce back against the Seahawks.
In four games at Lumen Field, he has passed for 1,454 yards and six touchdowns, with two interceptions.
On Dec. 18, he completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-37 overtime defeat.
The Rams had the ball in the fourth quarter but failed to move into field-goal range.
In overtime, Stafford connected with receiver Puka Nacua for a 41-yard touchdown pass. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold answered with a touchdown pass, and then converted a two-point conversion pass for the victory.
“Didn’t play up to our standard in some areas, and had chances to finish that game,” Stafford said. “But didn’t.”
The Rams and Stafford closed the deal in their divisional-round victory over the Bears.
As he did in the 2021 playoffs — when he engineered a 42-second, game-winning drive against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Stafford came up big in the divisional round when the Rams needed him most.
The Rams had the ball late in the fourth quarter but were forced to punt — and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sent the game into overtime with a spectacular touchdown pass.
In overtime, after Rams safety Kam Curl intercepted a pass, Stafford completed passes to tight end Colby Parkinson and receivers Davante Adams and Nacua during a drive that ended with a 42-yard, game-winning field goal by Harrison Mevis, putting the Rams in the NFC championship game for the third time under coach Sean McVay.
The top-seeded Seahawks are coming off a 41-6 rout of the San Francisco 49ers, a dominating performance that began with a kickoff return for a touchdown and did not let up in any phase.
McVay is confident that Stafford will once again handle the environment at Lumen Field.
“Just that command, that confidence, that poise, that ability to love those pressure-filled moments,” McVay said, “I think that gives a calm in the midst of some of those chaotic moments, and I think that resonates with his teammates, and it creates a belief that’s not exclusive to the offense.
“That’s our whole football team, coaching staff included.”
Center Coleman Shelton said because of the noise at Lumen Field, players lower their heads in the huddle to hear Stafford.
“You can hear the play-call the lower you go,” he said.
The plays are being delivered by a quarterback who “always rises to the occasion,” Shelton said.
“The harder the environment,” he said, “it almost seems like the more he thrives.”
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