{"id":695161,"date":"2026-01-22T01:40:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T01:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/695161\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T01:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T01:40:20","slug":"rams-teammates-know-matthew-stafford-will-be-the-calm-amid-the-noise-in-seattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/695161\/","title":{"rendered":"Rams teammates know Matthew Stafford will be the calm amid the noise in Seattle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whatever the circumstance \u2014 cold, snow, rain, wind, noise \u2014 Rams<\/a> quarterback Matthew Stafford is cool<\/a>, calm and collected.<\/p>\n

But the 17th-year pro<\/a> is not quiet.<\/p>\n

Especially in the huddle. Especially at decibel-delirious<\/a> Lumen Field in Seattle.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s screaming,\u201d tight end Davis Allen said Wednesday, chuckling. \u201cHe\u2019s not talking normal, that\u2019s for sure\u2026 He does a great job making sure guys are where they need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Asked how he thought he had played in Seattle, Stafford instantly ticked through all of the Rams\u2019 performances.<\/p>\n

A Thursday night victory<\/a> in 2021. Sitting out 2022 because of injury. A walk-off touchdown pass to win in overtime in 2024<\/a>, and an overtime loss this season<\/a> in Week 16.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a great environment,\u201d Stafford said.<\/p>\n

\"Los <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that gives a calm in the midst of some of those chaotic moments,\u201d Coach Sean McVay says of Matthew Stafford.<\/p>\n

(John Froschauer \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Stafford, who suffered a sprained right index finger against the Panthers, was not at his best for most of the game against the Bears.<\/p>\n

On a cold, snowy and windy night at Soldier Field, Stafford completed only 20 of 42 passes for 258 yards, with no touchdowns.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

But Stafford is expected to bounce back against the Seahawks.<\/p>\n

In four games at Lumen Field, he has passed for 1,454 yards and six touchdowns, with two interceptions.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 18, he completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-37 overtime defeat.<\/p>\n

The Rams had the ball in the fourth quarter but failed to move into field-goal range.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t play up to our standard in some areas, and had chances to finish that game,\u201d Stafford said. \u201cBut didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rams and Stafford closed the deal in their divisional-round victory over the Bears.<\/p>\n

As he did in the 2021 playoffs \u2014 when he engineered a 42-second, game-winning drive against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers \u2014 Stafford came up big in the divisional round when the Rams needed him most.<\/p>\n

The Rams had the ball late in the fourth quarter but were forced to punt \u2014 and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sent the game into overtime with a spectacular touchdown pass.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Matthew <\/p>\n

Matthew Stafford lines up under center against the Carolina Panthers during a wild- card playoff game this month. <\/p>\n

(Brian Westerholt \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

McVay is confident that Stafford will once again handle the environment at Lumen Field.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust that command, that confidence, that poise, that ability to love those pressure-filled moments,\u201d McVay said, \u201cI 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\u2019s not exclusive to the offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s our whole football team, coaching staff included.\u201d<\/p>\n

Center Coleman Shelton said because of the noise at Lumen Field, players lower their heads in the huddle to hear Stafford.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can hear the play-call the lower you go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The plays are being delivered by a quarterback who \u201calways rises to the occasion,\u201d Shelton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe harder the environment,\u201d he said, \u201cit almost seems like the more he thrives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whatever the circumstance \u2014 cold, snow, rain, wind, noise \u2014 Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is cool, calm and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2079],"tags":[391,101437,7,853,101440,1014,58,2444,2611,6,25645,1666,4042,101438,424,238,237,3177,13256,101439,1285],"class_list":["post-695161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-rams","tag-chicago-bears","tag-decibel-delirious-lumen-field","tag-football","tag-game","tag-game-winning-touchdown-drive","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesrams","tag-nfl","tag-noise","tag-overtime","tag-pass","tag-ram-teammate","tag-rams","tag-seahawks","tag-seattle","tag-stafford","tag-victory","tag-walk-off-touchdown-pass","tag-yard"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115936208607123434","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}