The Los Angeles Rams used a huge play late to stun the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and quarterback Matthew Stafford was well aware of how it happened.
Stafford found wide receiver Cooper Kupp for a 44-yard gain that set the Rams up in field goal range just before time expired in the fourth quarter. The play came against what was supposed to be an all-out blitz, which left Kupp alone with safety Antoine Winfield Jr. In a one-on-one matchup, Kupp was always going to win. You can see the play in question here.
In his postgame interview with NBC’s Michele Tafoya, Stafford briefly alluded to the call, and suggested that the Buccaneers had made a very bad decision.
“They tried to bring anybody on the last one. Not a good recipe,” Stafford said.
Stafford is right about the call, though Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians suggested that the players messed it up. Regardless, Stafford did feel pressure but found a way around it. Isolating a safety against Kupp was always an enormous risk, and not necessarily one worth taking at that point. The fact that Stafford seemed pretty pleased by that call just bears that out.
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