Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford added another milestone to his prolific career on Thursday Night Football, surpassing Philip Rivers on the NFL’s all-time completions list.
Stafford recorded his 5,278th career completion late in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on a 34-yard pass to wide receiver Tutu Atwell, moving into eighth place on the NFL’s all-time completions list. He finished the game 30-of-47 for 389 yards and three touchdowns, bringing his career total to 5,296 completions, surpassing Philip Rivers’ 5,277.
The achievement places Stafford behind only Tom Brady (7,753), Drew Brees (7,142), Brett Favre (6,300), Peyton Manning (6,125), Matt Ryan (5,551), Aaron Rodgers (5,443), and Ben Roethlisberger (5,440). As the 2025 season still has 14 games remaining, Stafford, who averaged 23 completions per game before Week 5, has the potential to crack the top five.
The milestone came in a high-stakes NFC West clash against San Francisco, a game played with only three days’ rest following Los Angeles’ previous matchup. Fighting tooth and nail, the Rams couldn’t overcome a depleted 49ers squad, losing 26-23 in overtime.
San Francisco was missing multiple core players, including quarterback Brock Purdy, three starting receivers, All-Pro tight end George Kittle, and defensive standout Nick Bosa. Mac Jones, starting in Purdy’s place, played efficiently, connecting with Jake Tonges for an early touchdown before Christian McCaffrey added another score to give the 49ers a 14-0 advantage.
Los Angeles responded late in the second quarter with Stafford finding Kyren Williams in the end zone, and continued to mount a comeback in the second half. Stafford’s milestone completion to Atwell helped advance Los Angeles into scoring position, followed by touchdowns to Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams.
Confronted with a missed PAT and a series of crucial defensive plays, including a forced fumble by Alfred Collins near the goal line, the Rams tied the game at 20-20 in the fourth quarter. Eddy Pineiro’s late field goal gave San Francisco a 23-20 lead, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, the 49ers struck while the iron was hot, taking advantage of a sloppy Rams kickoff and converting impactful plays to lock up the win. The Rams tried to mount a comeback, but a fourth-and-1 stop on Williams ended their hopes.
