Matthew Stafford may not have had a ton of team success during his 12 years with the Detroit Lions, but he was still a clutch quarterback who often led fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives. He hasn’t had to come from behind much with the Rams, but his play in the fourth quarter has been fantastic.
This season, Stafford has completed 70.9% of his passes in the fourth quarter, throwing 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions. His passer rating of 123.5 is the best among qualified quarterbacks, and he’s second in completion percentage behind only Tua Tagovailoa.
Pro Football Focus has graded him as the best quarterback in the fourth quarter, edging out Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert on the site’s scale.
Highest-graded QBs in the 4th quarter:
🐏 Matthew Stafford – 90.4
🦅 Jalen Hurts – 90.1
⚡️ Justin Herbert – 83.7 pic.twitter.com/wykrrcgLV6— PFF (@PFF) December 29, 2021
Only three quarterbacks have more fourth-quarter touchdown passes than Stafford this year and he’s one of just three players with zero interceptions on at least 100 attempts in the final frame.
Stafford has made his share of mistakes this season, throwing costly interceptions deep in the Rams’ own territory, but he’s stepped up in the fourth quarter and played just about mistake-free football.
