Rams’ Stafford Was the Best Against This NFL Coverage

Matthew Stafford does a lot of things right for the Los Angeles Rams. Despite them having the best backup quarterback in the league, there's no way the Rams are contenders without the stellar play of Stafford to back them up.

He has plenty of experience to rely on, and yet, he still plays with that hunger like he has to prove himself on the field. He can be a bit streaky at times, but when he's on fire, he's virtually unstoppable against NFL defenses.

As much as he's able to dice up NFL defenses with precision and poise, there's one type of coverage that he excels at more than most. According to Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus, Stafford is the best quarterback in the NFL against Cover 4, otherwise known as "Quarters".

"Despite playing at a lower level than we’ve come to expect in 2024 — recording only a 73.3 PFF passing grade — Stafford excelled when teams played Quarters coverage. Stafford’s 83.6 PFF passing grade versus Cover 4 was the NFL’s premier mark, narrowly ahead of Burrow (82.0) and Geno Smith (81.7)", said Locker.

Cover 4 is a defense that's commonly run across all levels of football, and involves both the safeties and cornerbacks dropping back to defend against deep passes, while the linebackers cover the middle of the field to prevent anything from materializing over the middle.

"Stafford was tremendous on his own when teams played four deep — amassing a 72.9% completion rate (fifth) and seven big-time throws (tied for first), but Puka Nacua’s play did help. Nacua’s 91.7 PFF receiving grade against Quarters was the fourth best among any receiver or tight end a season ago".

One of the reasons Stafford was so good against Cover 4 is undoubtedly because of Puka Nacua being able to outrun any defender in front of him, regardless of the coverage, as well as making teams pay for letting him get plenty of yards after the catch in the middle of the field.

At the same time, some of that credit has to go to Sean McVay, who knows what play to call whenever teams are using that coverage often in games. One of the best ways to beat Quarters is the play-action pass, a staple of McVay's offense.

Having Stafford under center is one of the reasons why the Rams are a team that can win it all next season, and opposing teams will want to stop using Cover 4 against them to try and prevent that. Having that ability to affect the defense is why Stafford is so great and gives the Rams a huge advantage.

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