Siccing seven rushers on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is a recipe for disaster, regardless of the situation.

On a fourth-quarter 3rd-and-2 in the red zone, the Rams came out in 13 personnel, begging the 49ers to match them. They did just that, placing eight defenders in the box to fit a run play that never came.

Instead, tight end Colby Parkinson chipped a defensive tackle, knocking him to the ground and running unmarked across the field on a shallow crosser. In the face of pressure, Stafford somehow spotted him out of the corner of his eye and, feet still set toward the middle of the field, fired a no-look strike to Parkinson on the left side. He walked into the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown.

Afterward, Stafford took a big hit, but got up and celebrated with a new dance move that wide receiver Puka Nacua dubbed the "shimmy shake." His fourth touchdown of the game, all of which came against the blitz, put the Rams up 42-20.

"Honestly, we were just going out there and selling the run, and Staff(ord) found me somehow," Parkinson said. "He's unbelievable, he's scanning across the whole field, somehow sees me, flicks it out and nobody was around me."

Against the blitz, Stafford's 20 touchdowns lead the league by 9, and he ranks top 10 in various other key passing statistics (all courtesy of Next Gen Stats unless otherwise stated). The veteran quarterback's quick processing and varied approaches against extra rushers, to go along with excellent blocking, have made this Rams passing attack very difficult to stop in that context.

"I think the more different answers that we can provide to all the different looks that we're getting, the harder we are to defend," Stafford said. "It may be a pressure and we throw a screen into it. The next play might be a pressure and we dial up the protection and throw it over your head. We might let it ride and check it down. We're trying to make ourselves as difficult to defend by presenting as many possible options for a defense as we can."

Stafford has been blitzed at the fourth-highest rate among qualified quarterbacks this season (33.3%), but on those blitzes, he's been pressured at the third-lowest rate (32.1%). His command of the offense, quick release (2.45 seconds, the third-fastest among qualified quarterbacks) and synergy with the offensive line have produced incredibly efficient results.

Despite his season-long dominance, San Francisco still blitzed Stafford on 48.6% of his dropbacks last week, the second-highest rate he's seen this season. He went 13 of 18 for a season-high 161 yards without taking a sack. And that success wasn't exclusive to the red zone.

On the drive prior to Parkinson's touchdown, the Rams were around midfield when the 49ers blitzed a safety off the edge on Stafford's blind side. Running back Kyren Williams picked it up perfectly and Stafford hit tight end Terrence Ferguson on an out-and-up down the left sideline for a 32-yard gain.

Before Ferguson motioned across the formation, the safety that came down to rush Stafford was positioned deep on the left side. Instead of the two-safety shell they presented, Stafford diagnosed the cover three defense and threw it where he knew the open man would be.

"I'm just trying to throw it where they're not, that's the big thing," Stafford said.

And that wasn't a one-off. According to Pro Football Focus, Stafford has eight big time throws (defined as a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window) against the blitz, ranking second in the NFL.

That play also demonstrated the protectors' preparedness, as Stafford had all day to hang in the pocket. Center Coleman Shelton said that understanding of opposing rush tendencies starts with his and Stafford's film study during the week.

Teams display keys and pre-snap indicators for blitzes and stunts off of them that Shelton and Stafford try to recognize and pass on to the rest of the blockers. But, ultimately, Shelton said that "whatever (Stafford) says, goes," which is good, because he's usually right. He can often be seen checking in or out of plays and pointing out rushers at the line.

"It's freeing when Matthew's right there and we're on the same page and we can do everything together," Shelton said.

Stafford is "one of the best in the world" when it comes to diagnosing blitzes and adjusting his reads accordingly, Shelton added, and that's showed up both on tape and the stat sheet this season.

"It gives everyone else the confidence to be able to go out and do our thing and gives the offensive line the confidence to know we're doing the right thing," Shelton said.

Offensive lineman Rob Havenstein said that veteran presence along with the continuity they've enjoyed up front over the past few seasons have given them a detailed understanding of Stafford's preferences on each play. So when blitzes come, they know where and when to prioritize their protection because they are all keyed in to his tendencies as a passer.

They know what his drop depth is, when he wants to hang back in the pocket versus step up, along with when in the play he likes to do so. On the pass to Ferguson, they knew Stafford was dropping deep to hit a downfield shot, so they set up an arc with double teams and an eight-man guard to give him that time.

But when the blitz does generate pressure, Stafford knows where his quick reads are. On a 3rd-and-7 in the fourth quarter, red jerseys collapsed the pocket on a six-man rush against 11 personnel, so Stafford flicked a pass out to tight end Tyler Higbee in the flat to convert before taking a big hit, which ultimately led to Parkinson's touchdown a few plays later.

"To be able to understand, 'Where are my quick element throws if I need it? What are the outlets? What are the issues that they're presenting from a protection and from a coverage contour perspective?'" said head coach Sean McVay. "He's a guy that's in command."

Over the past three games, all 13 of Stafford's touchdown passes have come against the blitz. No other quarterback has thrown four touchdowns in a single game against five-plus rushers, while Stafford has done so in three-straight, and they've come from a variety of looks.

On the goal line, Stafford knows he'll likely get one-on-one matchups with at least five rushers, and he often trusts skill players like wide receiver Davante Adams to beat their man, which is exactly what happened in the third quarter on Sunday. Other times, the play call beats the blitz on its own, like it did on Nacua's 22-yard touchdown off a screen early on.

It doesn't matter what rush the defense throws at them, Stafford and McVay always have exhaustive plans and contingencies to beat it.

"I think he's handling the different situations where blitzes are more likely to occur really well over the last handful of weeks and he is handling the other situations where maybe that's not as prevalent really well also," McVay said. "I think it's really a reflection of the complete body of work that he's had."

While the Rams' Week 11 opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, blitz at the NFL's second-lowest rate (19.1%), their pressure rate on those snaps leads the league (54.5%). But they haven't played Stafford yet. No matter how much they try to lull the Rams' offense into a false sense of security, they'll be ready for the onslaught when it comes.