{"id":121987,"date":"2021-09-23T20:57:50","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T00:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=121987"},"modified":"2021-09-23T20:57:50","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T00:57:50","slug":"can-matthew-stafford-elevate-his-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/09\/23\/can-matthew-stafford-elevate-his-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Matthew Stafford Elevate His Game vs Tom Brady in Week 3?"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span><\/span><\/span>he 2-0 Los Angeles Rams <\/span><\/span><\/span>return home to <\/span><\/span><\/span>play<\/span><\/span><\/span> in <\/span><\/span><\/span>the<\/span><\/span><\/span> second of back-to-back <\/span><\/span><\/span>spotlight <\/span><\/span><\/span>game<\/span><\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/span>However, <\/span><\/span><\/span>their Week 3<\/span><\/span><\/span> match-<\/span><\/span><\/span>up<\/span><\/span><\/span> dramatically <\/span><\/span><\/span>amps up the lumens in SoFi Stadium <\/span><\/span><\/span>as<\/span><\/span><\/span> Father Time shunner Tom Brady and his 2-0 Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers <\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>strut<\/span><\/span><\/span> in<\/span><\/span><\/span>to town. They bring their shiny new Lombardi trophy and championship ring aura with them for added ambiance. They also bring something they didn\u2019t have <\/span><\/span><\/span>in <\/span><\/span><\/span>last season\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span><\/span> contest<\/span><\/span><\/span> that saw <\/span><\/span><\/span>the Rams <\/span><\/span><\/span>in control<\/span><\/span><\/span> from start to finish <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span> season-long experience playing together. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For Los Angeles to duplicate that outcome they need role players to step up their games, including receiver Van Jefferson. This is rather obvious as outside of his explosive season-opener touchdown he has barely been heard from since until a critical drop in Week 2. What’s less obvious is the newest Los Angeles quarterback sensation’s <\/span><\/span><\/span>slightly diminishing will to spread the ball around as evenly as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew Stafford Must Play to Tom Brady’s Level for a Week 3 Win<\/h2>\n

Sounds crazy to say aloud considering his electrifying 2021 start; Matthew <\/em>Stafford needs to step up his game<\/em>. But think before you bust a gut laughing. This is Tom Brady. Have you seen him play this season? Quite honestly, this is Brady at his Hall of Fame best no matter the age. Certainly multi-levels better than he was this time last year when the two teams faced off. The man is threading needles on the regular. Therefore, speaking frankly, Jalen Ramsey is the only piece of the Rams secondary that isn\u2019t a huge concern.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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And still, more than Brady’s pinpoint accuracy is his distribution and split second decision-making. He’s not only defying time physically but looking as sharp mentally as ever. Unfortunately for the Rams, this means extra pressure\u2019s on everyone not named Ramsey or Aaron Donald to elevate their play on the defensive side.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Is Stafford Becoming Co(oper Kupp) Dependent?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

“[Cooper] Kupp averaged 4.4 yards of separation in Week 2, alongside his 9 catches for 163 yards and 2 TDs. Kupp had at least 3 yards of separation…” Jourdan Rodrigue<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, Cooper Kupp is off to a blazing start. And yes, he’s deserving of every target he’s gotten thus far. If you’re the best on the team at getting open, you should get the most attention without question. The problem here is predictability. The concern here is that Tom Brady plays on the Bucs (and yes, I know he doesn’t play defense). McVay must acknowledge that Bill Belichick doesn’t need to be physically present for Bill Belichick’s knowledge to be present. And this is on top of what Brady already knows \u2014<\/span><\/span> or do you think he didn’t learn and take a thing or two to Florida with him?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A member of the group asked if Matt Stafford was hitting up Cooper Kupp a little too much…
so I looked into it (included Week 3 opponent for distribution\/target comparisons).
What d'ya think? pic.twitter.com\/2XX95Hhgn3<\/a><\/p>\n

— MobSquad Times~2021 NFL Champs \u2605\ud83d\udc51\ud835\udcdb\ud835\udcd0 \ud835\udce1\ud835\udcea\ud835\udcf6\ud835\udcfc\ud83d\udc51\u2605 (@GridDawgs247) September 22, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n