Matthew Stafford's 40th comeback is a stat that belongs to Kyren Williams
Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions, zero touchdowns, and posted a 63.9 passer rating, and it goes in the books as the 40th fourth-quarter comeback of his career.
That's not a knock on Stafford. It's a definition problem.
The Rams beat the Eagles 24-20 in Philadelphia on Sunday after trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter. The comeback is real. The attribution isn't. Stafford went 32-of-51 for 317 yards with two picks and a 56.1 QBR. He didn't throw a touchdown pass. Los Angeles won because Kyren Williams carried 16 times for 80 yards and two scores, caught 10 of 13 targets for 67 yards, and punched in the go-ahead touchdown that gave the Rams their first lead of the day. Puka Nacua did the rest: nine catches, 125 yards, plus a 2-yard rushing score on his only carry.
Byron Young lived in the Philadelphia backfield with 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. Omar Speights added a sack. Kamren Kinchens got a half.
"Fourth-quarter comeback" is a quarterback stat in name only. It counts the games his team won after trailing in the fourth quarter. Sometimes he authored it. On Sunday, he survived it, on a day the Rams arrived at 1-2 against an Eagles team sitting at 2-1.
Which is exactly why Rams fans are split. One camp sees 24-20 on the road against a good Philadelphia team and takes the win. The other watched a 51-attempt passing day with two interceptions and no touchdowns and sees a problem the comeback papered over. Both are reading the same tape correctly.
The evidence backs the skeptics more than the celebrants. A 6.2 yards-per-attempt average on 51 throws is dink-and-dunk volume, and it produced 317 yards the hard way. Against a Philadelphia defense that gets healthier and better as the season goes, that won't hold. This one was won on the ground and in the front seven.
My verdict: this was Kyren Williams' win and the defense's win, not Stafford's. If the Rams need Stafford to throw 51 times again in a tight game, the 41st comeback doesn't come. I'll take the under on it.
