Football can be rather simple every once in a while.
As Matthew Stafford prepares to open Wild Card Weekend with a rematch against the host Carolina Panthers, the Los Angeles Rams quarterback doesn't believe there's any secret to finding more success than he did in the teams' first matchup.
"I'd like to not throw it to their team," Stafford said Tuesday, via Panthers.com's Kassidy HIll. "I think that was the story of the game when you think about it."
On a rainy Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, Stafford set an NFL record on the opening drive with his 28th straight touchdown pass without an interception. Then he threw a tipped interception to Nick Scott in the end zone on the ensuing possession, with an INT returned for a score by Mike Jackson to follow. He lost a fumble, as well, for good measure.
The 2025 season has been a tour de force for Stafford, but the 31-28 loss to the Panthers in an unlucky Week 13 was a glaring exception.
Stafford, among the MVP front-runners, led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes with just eight interceptions. However, he's twice had multiple picks in a game (Week 13 vs. the Panthers and Week 17 vs. the Falcons). Both instances led to losses. So, avoiding a repeat performance in a return to Charlotte is paramount for Stafford on Saturday.
Without those three turnovers, Rams-Panthers Round 1 is likely to have been a much different game. Stafford's looking to evade the Panthers' defensive playmakers this time around.
"We moved the ball well in some areas," said Stafford, who had a pair of TDs and 243 yards in the first game. "We scored a couple times in the red zone. We did some nice things, ran it well and just had the turnovers. When you look at their defense, that's what they've been able to do to a lot of teams, whether it's getting a tip at the line of scrimmage and somebody making a play on it or somebody in the back end making a play or stripping the ball. They're an opportunistic group with a bunch of playmakers."
Stafford hasn't thrown an interception in his last three playoff appearances. He's looking to continue that trend and dodge another Tar Heel State mishap in the process.
Rams-Panthers Round 2 kicks off Wild Card Weekend at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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