Matthew Stafford Has Become Undefendable Heading to the Super Bowl

If you’re still doubting Matthew Stafford, it's time to stop. What we have seen from him throughout these playoffs has shown that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the game, and that he’s still developing. I would strongly encourage you not to base your Super Bowl betting decisions on the slanderous opinions of “Matthew Stafford isn’t good.” He is.

Stafford Is Elite Against the Blitz

All season, Stafford proved that he can thrive in the Los Angeles Rams system against the blitz, and it carried over into the playoffs. In their Wild Card game, the Arizona Cardinals decided to blitz Stafford heavily. They blitzed him a season-high 50% of his dropbacks, but it didn’t matter.

He only needed to attempt 17 passes in the game to cruise to a 34-11 victory, but he did so in efficient fashion. Stafford completed 13 of his 17 passes for 202 yards and two scores, with three of his four incompletions coming at the hands (or lack of hands) of drops. Against the blitz, he completed seven of nine passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. 

That trend continued against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay attempted to blitz him heavily, and Stafford started the game 6/7 for 57 yards and a touchdown against the blitz. I’m not sure why these defenses felt like this was a good idea — Stafford was elite against the blitz all season. Throughout the regular season, Stafford was seventh in yards per attempt and third in completion rate against the blitz. He was +89.1 in EPA against the blitz in the regular season, which is the most that Next Gen Stats has ever tracked.

Matthew Stafford tore up the Niners when they didn’t blitz

This is where the Bengals should be concerned — you can’t just sit back and not rush Stafford either. Apparently the 49ers saw what the stats showed about Stafford against the blitz, so they didn’t blitzed him only six times. When Stafford wasn’t pressured, he completed 24/29 passes for 254 yards and two scores. He also registered a +20.0 pass EPA on those attempts. Stafford has thrown six touchdowns and only one interception throughout these playoffs, and has gone well over 300 yards in his last two games.

I’m not sure what the Bengals can do to slow down Stafford. If he continues to play the way that he has throughout these playoffs, Stafford has a great chance of earning the Lombardi Trophy that he has deserved for years. 

You can find all of Jon Helmkamp’s picks here.