Five games into his age-37 season, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has shown that he is still one of the league’s most reliable and explosive passers. Time seems not to have dulled his arm or leadership. Even after the Rams’ 26–23 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers, his stats exude elite playmaking.
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Over the past two weeks, Stafford has completed 67% of his passes for 764 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions, topping 375 yards in both games. Those are championship-caliber numbers. The performance has pushed him into early MVP conversations.
Stafford is also closing in on a major career milestone. With 61,312 career passing yards, he sits just 49 yards shy of Dan Marino’s 61,361, which ranks seventh on the NFL’s all-time passing list.
Stafford is all but certain to pass Marino in Week 6, adding another line to his Hall of Fame résumé. Once that happens, Matt Ryan (62,792), Philip Rivers (63,440), and Aaron Rodgers (63,738) are next in line for Stafford to chase.
Meanwhile, Rodgers, who has powered the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 3–1 start, is writing his own late-career chapter. His impact has been immediate, helping Pittsburgh win tight games with signature clutch plays.
In Week 1, he threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally the Steelers past his former team, the New York Jets. Two weeks later, he found Calvin Austin III for the game-winning score with 2:16 left. Then, in Week 4, his 80-yard bomb to DK Metcalf sealed a 24–21 win over Minnesota.
Statistically, Rodgers has been efficient on the surface with 68.5% completions, 786 yards, eight touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 102.6 passer rating. Yet, Pro Football Focus ranks him 37th of 38 quarterbacks, showing that while his production looks solid, the explosiveness and consistency of his prime aren’t there.
Rodgers has also been playing in a run-heavy Steelers offense, which relies on Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren to control tempo and protect the aging star. That conservative approach, combined with occasional protection issues, may make recording passing yards more difficult for Rodgers as the season progresses.
Still, Rodgers sits just 350 yards shy of Ben Roethlisberger’s 64,088. He could pass Big Ben for fifth place all-time in one or two games. If his efficiency holds up, he could also approach Rivers’ mark later this year.
