Matthew Stafford has spent most of the 2025 season making quarterback play look effortless, but Sunday’s divisional playoff game against the Chicago Bears was a rare quiet afternoon by his standards. The veteran passer failed to throw a touchdown for the first time all year, completing just 20 of 42 attempts for 258 yards in the Rams’ gritty 20–17 overtime victory.
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Even in a win that sent Los Angeles to the NFC Championship, Stafford was his own harshest critic. Despite the celebration around him, Stafford didn’t hide from his uneven performance. Speaking after the game, he admitted he never found his usual rhythm.
“No, I definitely didn’t get into a great rhythm today, there’s no question about that,” Stafford said post-game. “Had some opportunities in the pass game, just some things that made it tough. Obviously, I can be better.”
The Bears’ remarkable season came to a heartbreaking end at SoFi Stadium. Chicago had captured the NFC North, knocked off the Packers in the wild-card round, and taken organizational steps that hadn’t been seen in decades. They nearly added another chapter to that story, rallying in the final minute when Caleb Williams found Cole Kmet on a stunning fourth-down strike to tie the game with 17 seconds left.
Overtime, however, belonged to the Rams. Williams threw a costly interception on a potential game-winning drive, and Los Angeles methodically moved into range for Harrison Mevis, who drilled a 42-yard field goal to seal the victory. The Rams now advance to face the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship, while Chicago is left watching two teams sitting exactly where it hopes to be next season. So, despite the sub-par stat line, Stafford isn’t all that regretful.
“But playoff football is about winning the football game. I played great, threw for a bunch of yards last year in the snow and we lost, and that sucks. I’m happy to have played a little bit worse today and go home with a win. We’ll take that.”
His stat line backed up the self-assessment: a 47.6 percent completion rate, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 67.4 passer rating. It was far from the form that had defined his regular season.
One off night doesn’t erase what has been a historic campaign. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call this the best season of Stafford’s 17-year career. The 37-year-old averaged 276.9 passing yards per game and eclipsed 4,600 yards for the fifth time, highlighted by a 457-yard explosion against Seattle in Week 16.
He finished the regular season with more than 45 touchdown passes, leading the league by a wide margin —Jared Goff’s 34 was the next closest total — while throwing just eight interceptions despite consistently pushing the ball downfield. Those numbers kept him firmly in the MVP conversation even as the Rams split their final six games.
Sunday’s matchup showed a different version of the Rams offense. Los Angeles leaned heavily on the pass early, asking Stafford to drop back 40 times in regulation while running just seven times in the first half. The ground game found more life after the break, but the contest remained tight thanks to Chicago’s balanced attack of 160 rushing yards on 39 attempts.
In the end, style points didn’t matter. The Rams capitalized when it counted, and Stafford, despite his first touchdown-less outing, did enough to move his team one step closer to the Super Bowl.
