WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — From the outside, high-pressure moments seem just like any other moment in a game for Matthew Stafford.
"You expect somebody to be more frantic in some of those situations than what he is," wide receiver Davante Adams said on Thursday of Stafford's demeanor during two-minute drills. "I always allude to the fact that he's the coolest and most collected guy that I've been around. Period. But just the way he commands the huddle in some of those moments is special. And I think that we get a lot of our confidence from him just based off that he seems and feels in the moment. So (we) just kind of follow that."
The way the Rams quarterback conducts himself in the huddle and on the field in late-game situations with everything on the line sets the tone for the rest of the offense. And on Monday night against the Bills, Stafford excelled in those moments with the highest pressure.
The Bills scored a touchdown with 1:39 remaining in regulation with Stafford and the Rams offense set to get the ball with 1:32 left and one timeout. With the game on the line, Stafford led a touchdown drive that spanned 63 yards, 62 of which he threw for while going 6-for-7, to tie the game.
"I thought he tried to will us to a victory," head coach Sean McVay said on Tuesday. "He was in baller mode, if you will. He was totally present, making plays. ... He did a great job getting through progression, saw the field really well, and he settled in."
Even in overtime, Stafford had 47 passing yards on a drive that put Los Angeles in field goal range. Ultimately, the collective performance from the Rams wasn't enough to win the game — but McVay thought Stafford did everything he possibly could.
"When you care much, you feel much, and you care and you want so badly for those guys to feel the results and the fruits of their labor," McVay said about Stafford. "It stings when you come up short, but he played good enough for us to be able to win the football game."
Stafford also played his cleanest game of the young season so far. He threw at least one interception in each of the first four weeks — but against Buffalo, Stafford had 383 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
In the last three game, each went down to the wire for the Rams. Not every game has gone Los Angeles' way, but simply having the opportunity to win each game was because of Stafford. In Week 3, Stafford had a potential game winning throw on the last play. In Week 4, Stafford led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives that willed Los Angeles to a victory. And in Week 5, Stafford's two-minute drill at the end of regulation forced overtime and an overtime drive gave the Rams a chance to win.
Stafford and the Rams offense came up just short in two of the three games. But the secret for Stafford to even make each game as close as it was is exactly what Adams noticed about his quarterback's demeanor in the biggest moments: Remaining steady no matter what.
"That's why you have to stay steady in those moments throughout the whole game because you never know when those moments are going to be where you have the opportunity to go grab the momentum," Stafford said on Thursday. "Sometimes, a lot of times in the NFL, when you look around the league, those moments happen late. ... There's a lot of football that comes down to a couple plays here or there in the fourth quarter. We got to make sure that we're ready to make all those plays in all three phases."
Ultimately, in a clash of the 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen and 2025 NFL MVP Stafford, it was Allen and the Bills who came out victorious. And although there are no moral victories, the late-game drives and efforts from Stafford prove his calm and collected demeanor when his team needs it the most.
