Rams QB Matthew Stafford credits teammates for stellar season as L.A. makes playoff push

It took until the Los Angeles Rams started stacking wins for folks to acknowledge what close followers have known all year: Matthew Stafford is playing some of the best football of his life.

Stafford's Rams are 6-7 and first in line outside of the trio of NFC wild-card berths with a month to play. Considering where they began 2023, that alone is a major achievement -- and much of it is related to Stafford's performance.

A few elements have both aided and benefitted from Stafford's performance this season. Los Angeles' beleaguered offensive line has improved significantly, thanks in part to the additions of Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson. Stafford was afforded the back half of the 2022 season to get fully healthy from a neck injury. Rookie receiver Puka Nacua has picked up the pro game at an incredibly quick pace. And offensive wizard Sean McVay has maximized the potential of this collective group, primarily because he knows he can trust Stafford to get the job done.

In typical Stafford fashion, the last person he'd credit for Rams' surprise season is himself.

"If I'm playing good, that means the guys in front of me are blocking, the guys on the outside are getting open and catching it, and we're running the ball efficiently," Stafford told reporters on Wednesday, via The Associated Press. "It's an unbelievable team sport. It takes everybody to do all of it. I'm just trying to make sure that when everything is right around me and my number is called, to go out there and do my job as best as I possibly can."

Stafford has played remarkably well for the vast majority of 2023, but he's been even better in the last three weeks. He's tossed three or more touchdowns in each of the Rams' last three games, is completing 63.1 percent of