As we enter Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season, the fantasy football playoffs are in sight. Managers still have several weeks to solidify their postseason spots,…
Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season is rapidly approaching, which means there are only six weeks left before most fantasy football playoffs begin. That means it's…
Between the NFL's ever-climbing injury count and some busy bye weeks ahead, most fantasy football managers find themselves in need of roster reinforcements.…
With the NFL's Nov. 5 trade deadline approaching, the trade market has already begun to heat up. We've seen standout players like Davante Adams, Amari Cooper,…
Matthew Stafford Excites NFL Fans as Puka Nacua, Kupp Return in Rams Win vs. Vikings
Oct 25, 2024
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Matt Stafford #9 celebrates a touchdown with Cooper Kupp #10 of the Los Angeles Rams against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at SoFi Stadium on October 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
The return of the Los Angeles Rams' star receiving duo proved to be too much for the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.
Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdowns during Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp's return as the Rams stormed to a 30-20 home win in Week 8.
Stafford finished the outing having gone 25-of-34 for 279 yards, recording a touchdown/interception ratio of 4:1 while facing minimal pressure from the Vikings defense.
Nacua, who had missed five previous games with a knee injury, made seven catches for a team-high 106 receiving yards in his return. Kupp meanwhile finished the win with 51 receiving yards and a touchdown in his return from a Week 2 ankle injury.
Tied heading into the half, the Rams earned the advantage with a pair of field goals before veteran wideout Demarcus Robinson caught his second touchdown of the night to extend Los Angeles' lead to eight points in the fourth quarter.
The guy who sacked Darnold grabbed his head because he knew it was a penalty and was frustrated!!! And they didn’t call it! What a freaking miss by the refs
Justin Jefferson is the best receiver in the league and also, it really feels like few play-callers are more intentional about getting their top elite No. 1 into the flow of the game early and designing him targets (without going the Mickey Mouse route) than Kevin O’Connell.
The Rams headed into their Week 6 bye with a 1-4 record and the looming possibility of becoming sellers at the Nov. 5 deadline.
With that record improved to 3-4 following wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and the Vikings, and Nacua and Kupp back in Stafford's target arsenal, the Rams have a new outlook as to their odds of challenging the Seattle Seahawks (4-3) and Arizona Cardinals (3-4) for the top of the NFC West.
This changes some things for the Rams. They’re at 3-4, and get the first-place Seahawks next. Very much in it in the NFC West.
The Rams have an extended break before their fight for a postseason spot continues a week from Sunday as Stafford, Kupp and Nacua hit the road for a division matchup in Seattle.
Matthew Stafford Trade Rumors: 'Zero Truth' to Buzz Around Vikings, Rams Talks
Oct 23, 2024
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 20: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, at SoFi Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
A rumor started floating around on social media on Tuesday night that the Minnesota Vikings were pursuing a trade for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, but it sounds like that's not the case.
Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported on Wednesday that "there's zero truth to the idea the Vikings are trying to trade for" Stafford.
The Vikings are coming off their first loss of the year after falling to the Detroit Lions on Sunday 31-29. However, Minnesota is still regarded as one of the best teams in the league and appears to have a real chance at competing for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Trading Stafford sounds like a farfetched idea, but the Rams are 2-4 and could be willing to start building for the future by dealing away its top players. Star receiver Cooper Kupp told reporters on Tuesday that he's "aware" his name has come up in trade rumors, so there's a chance he isn't alone.
However, the Vikings don't appear to have a quarterback problem, as Sam Darnold is playing the best football of his career. The 2018 No. 3 pick has completed a career-best 66.5 percent of his passes for 1,370 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. He was expected to be a bridge quarterback for rookie JJ McCarthy, the 2024 No. 10 pick, but McCarthy underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
It would make little sense for the Vikings to disrupt their chemistry by removing Darnold as the starter, even for someone of Stafford's caliber. It should also be noted that Stafford hasn't been very productive this year with just three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Coincidentally, the Vikings and Rams are set to face each other on Thursday Night Football. It wouldn't be a surprise if the speculation surrounding Stafford continued until the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
The NFL is set to take a break from byes in Week 8, and all 32 teams will be in action. This means that fans so inclined will have no shortage of wagering…
NFL Trade Rumors: Rams Aren't Protecting Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp Draws Interest
Oct 22, 2024
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 26: Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) talks with wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) during the team's training camp at Loyola Marymount University on July 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Rams "aren't protecting" star quarterback Matthew Stafford, while wide receiver Cooper Kupp remains the subject of outside interest ahead of the NFL's Nov. 5 trade deadline, according to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic also reported on her Scoop City podcast the Rams are "definitely taking calls" about Kupp and that Los Angeles is at least "open" to the idea of parting with the 2021 All-Pro.
Russini added that the Rams "have indicated a willingness to take on some" of Kupp's 2024 salary and are seeking a second-round pick in return for the receiver.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Saturday that "plenty of teams doing research on receivers have [Kupp] on their list."
On their starting quarterback, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Oct. 9 that "the Rams have looked at Stafford's future as a year-to-year proposition," adding how "neither player nor team seems to know how or when it will end."
The Rams are last in the NFC West at 2-4 thanks in part to having multiple key players go down with injuries. As much as L.A. bucked expectations in 2023 to make the playoffs, this is an aging roster that's still coping with the consequences from general manager Les Snead making win-now move after win-now move.
Becoming a seller and focusing on 2025 and beyond would make sense in that context. Getting out from Stafford's and/or Kupp's contracts would open up some salary cap flexibility as well. Stafford has a cap hit of $53.7 million for 2025 and 2026, while Kupp will count for $29.8 million and $27.3 million for each of the next two years.
Rodrigue speculated Snead ultimately may not be willing to wave the white flag. The Rams are within striking distance of the first-place Seattle Seahawks (4-3) within the division, and their on-field fortunes could improve as some of their injured players come back.
Los Angeles has two more games before the deadline. How those go could cement the front office's approach right up to Nov. 5.
Week 4 finally brought a little clarity to the NFL landscape, though it certainly didn't answer every question. The Cincinnati Bengals finally got a win,…
Sean McVay Hails Matthew Stafford as 'Such a F--king Stud!' After Rams' Win vs. 49ers
Sep 23, 2024
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams speaks with Matthew Stafford #9 during their game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 08, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay spoke for many fans when he called quarterback Matthew Stafford "such a f--king stud" after Sunday's 27-24 comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
The MMQB's Albert Breer relayed the comment from McVay, who awarded Stafford a game ball in the locker room.
Stafford threw for 221 yards and one touchdown, which are numbers that don't exactly jump off the page. But the two-time Pro Bowler was without his two best wide receivers (Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua) and lined up behind an offensive line that missed three starters (Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom).
Los Angeles was the clear underdog entering Week 3 and San Francisco appeared to be cruising to an easy win when it jumped ahead 14-0 in the first quarter. Instead, the Rams clawed their way back despite having so many key players injured.
That felt like a culture win for the #Rams. Despite brutal injuries to start the year, there’s now a long-standing tradition of bounce-back football there under Sean McVay.
Stafford was instrumental in setting up the game-tying score late in the fourth quarter. His 50-yard pass to Tutu Atwell put the offense in a 1st-and-goal situation.
STAFFORD AIRS IT OUT TO PUT THE RAMS INSIDE THE FIVE
Then the veteran signal-caller was savvy enough to test 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell on a throw that resulted in a pass interference and moved the ball 25 yards down the field. That eventually gave Joshua Karty a chip shot for a game-winning field goal.
I just rewatched the game. The 49ers haven't been that poor defensively since 2018 — before they acquired legitimate edge rushers. The coverage was abysmal, and by having De'Vondre Campbell in perimeter coverage 25 yards downfield at crunch time, they were just asking Stafford to…
Stafford is now tied with Drew Brees for the fifth-most fourth-quarter comebacks (36) all time. He seemingly thrives in adversity and regularly rises to the occasion in critical moments.
Thanks in large part to the 36-year-old, Rams fans have renewed belief this can be a playoff team even with all of the injuries.
