The Los Angeles Rams have a new quarterback after acquiring Matthew Stafford on Saturday in a huge blockbuster deal that sent Jared Goff and picks to the Detroit Lions.
Stafford and the Lions were destined to part ways and, ultimately, the Rams wanted to move on from Goff and his contract, so this move makes sense for both sides. The former Georgia Bulldog was rumored to go to Washington, Indianapolis, and San Francisco, among others, as many teams called in an effort to land him.
The San Francisco 49ers are in the quarterback market as well and have been linked to both Stafford and Deshaun Watson, even though Jimmy Garoppolo is still under contract and just a year removed from a Super Bowl appearance.
The 49ers could move on from Jimmy G, or they could keep him, but the question remains: is a Garoppolo-led team better than the Stafford Rams squad in L.A.?
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco has a talented trio on offense with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and a top-two tight end in George Kittle, so there's that. Garoppolo missed most of the season due to injury, and even in the Super Bowl LIV run there were questions about his performance.
The running game is up in the air, as the revolving door of Raheem Mostert, Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson Jr., and Tevin Coleman all rotated in and out due to numerous injuries, and Mostert is the one with the most talent of the bunch.
The offensive line isn't bad, but Trent Williams is more than likely going to hit free agency with the 49ers tight on cap space, and the defense just lost coordinator Robert Saleh after he got a promotion to be the head coach of the New York Jets.
Four interceptions. Six points given up.
The 49ers defense dominated in Week 7. 🔒@49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/BUBSS9OzPn
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2020
Nick Bosa will be back after a season-ending injury, Jason Verrett might be back after having a terrific season after multiple injury-plagued seasons, and Richard Sherman has most likely played his last snap in gold.
The cap space is very limited, but the offense has weapons and the defense still has a lot of talent, especially once Bosa comes back.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams had the No. 1 defense in the NFL thanks to Brandon Staley, but he packed up and moved to the other side of SoFi Stadium to be the head man with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey are among the best at their respective positions, and safety Josh Johnson is a free agent and might go somewhere else if the Rams don't pony up an offer for him.
On the other side of the ball, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Van Jefferson are a talented trio of wide receivers, and Cam Akers showed he could be the workhorse back for this franchise after a terrific last few weeks of the year.
The moment The Rams knew they had to get rid of Jared Goff at all costs 😂 #49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/Ns7pCQRhAY
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers_) January 31, 2021
Sean McVay and the Rams have a whole group of new coordinators and will have some big shoes to fill, but overall the improvement from Goff to Stafford is tremendous.
Goff struggled in 2020, finishing with 3,952 yards with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and his ability to throw the ball downfield was nowhere to be seen, for whatever reason.
Favor: Stafford and the Rams
The Rams made the playoffs last season with Goff playing mediocre football, and even with Staley leaving, the core of the defense is still intact and Akers should be the lead running back for the entirety of the season, something McVay didn't decide to do until late.
QB Matthew Stafford in Sean McVay’s offense —
Pretty easy fit there…
Throw the in-breakers off play-action. Get to the edges on boot + the Hi-Lo reads in the middle of the field.
Would expect L.A. to throw more vertical shots with Stafford, too. @NFLMatchup #Rams pic.twitter.com/dZHXc3flgQ
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) January 31, 2021
Garoppolo has been injury-prone, but he still has talent, just not as much as Stafford, and doesn't have the luxury of the number one defense in the NFL. Both teams have ample weapons, but until Jimmy G shows to be the guy that led them to a Super Bowl, the Rams are better than the 49ers.
Stafford is a tremendous upgrade from Goff, especially after what was seen from Goff in 2020, just a couple of years from a Super Bowl trip. Woods and Kupp will love having Stafford throw the ball downfield, and McVay and the Rams have a legit shot to take the NFC West crown in 2021.
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