Matthew Stafford reached the playoffs just three times in his first 12 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, now, in his first season with the Los Angeles Rams he is headed to the Super Bowl.
Stafford completed 31-of-45 pass attempts for 337 yards and two touchdowns, throwing one interception, in a 20-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
The 33-year-old veteran quarterback has carried the reputation that he cannot win in the playoffs for much of his career and with the Rams trailing 17-7 to start the fourth quarter it looked like that narrative was primed to resurface.
But on the third play of the fourth quarter he hit his favorite target, Cooper Kupp, for an 11-yard touchdown.
The Rams scored a field goal on their next possession to tie the game and then after forcing the Niners to punt, Stafford orchestrated a 10-play 49-yard drive, highlighted by a crucial 25-yard catch and run from Cooper Kupp on a third-and-3 to set up a go-ahead 30-yard field goal from Matt Gay.
As the score turned final many football fans expressed their happiness for Stafford finally getting to the Super Bowl.
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