WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Postgame last Sunday, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford lamented missing some throws he normally makes earlier in the game, and ultimately not playing up to his standard.
"There's definitely plays out there. I know myself, first and foremost, that I could be better just physically throwing the ball," he said at the time.
Three days later, moving past that is not about a full reset as much as it is trusting the process that produced the performances from the first two weeks of the season, and spearheaded the two-minute drive that set up the potential game-winning field goal attempt against the Eagles.
"No reset. Just continue to do what I always do," Stafford said Wednesday. "Know that those kind of days are going to happen, frustrating when it happens, but was able to kind of get it going and feeling better. That two-minute drive, was putting the ball right where I wanted to every time, for the most part. So just continue to throw, trust the process, trust what I do to get ready week in and week out and go play."
After an incompletion short right to wide receiver Puka Nacua on the first play of that series, Stafford completed three of his next five passes to move Los Angeles to the Philadelphia 33-yard line, methodically orchestrating the no-huddle operation and positioning L.A. to win the game.
He finished 19 for 33 overall for 196 yards with two touchdowns against one interception; his completion percentage and passing yards were both his lowest in a game this season after completing at least 69% of his attempts and throwing for at least 245 yards in each of the Rams' first two games.
"I think just the standards in terms of the accuracy that he's accustomed to delivering the ball with consistently," McVay said, when asked Monday about Stafford's accountability. "I love the way that he has such high standards that he's earned because of the special player that he is. (There were) just a couple throws that I think he would be accustomed to being able to make that he missed. I think one of the things that's cool about Matthew is the refreshing security to acknowledge that. That's what allows him to move forward the right way. I mean, he certainly did a hell of a job in that two-minute situation taking us right down the field. He had some big-time completions to Puka and to (wide receiver) Jordan Whittington that got us in some good looks to be able to convert some third-down runs. We had a chance to be able to win the football game, but I think that's just a credit to his standards and the consistent accuracy that he delivers with the majority of the time. There were a couple throws that he typically makes."
Stafford's trust in his weekly process will be especially important this week against a defensive coordinator he's quite familiar with in Indianapolis' Lou Anarumo, who previously held the same role for the Cincinnati Bengals the last six seasons. The Colts rank No. 7 in total defense and No. 9 in scoring defense in the league entering Week 4.
"I got a lot of respect for Lou. I think he does a hell of a job," Stafford said. "Been up against him a few times, and he gives you a lot to look at at the quarterback position."
Stafford understands "it's a long season," and there may be games where you play well enough to win, but for whatever reason don't. By the same token, sometimes off-games happen, and just like the loss itself, it's not worth dwelling on.
"I don't try to think too much about it," Stafford said. "Just go back to doing what I always do, work the way I always work. Understand that, you go to an NBA game, you watch guys shoot the ball, best shooters in the world, the guys that can make it every time, and sometimes they have nights where it doesn't go down, and maybe they got to get to the hole a little bit more and find different ways to score. So it happens. I'm not too worried about it."
