As the Los Angeles Rams prepare for a Monday Night Football showdown against the Miami Dolphins, the biggest storyline surrounding the matchup has to be Jalen Ramsey's first game against the team he won the Super Bowl with.
Sean McVay celebrated what Ramsey still brings to the table, fans have relitigated the decision to trade him in the first place, and no matter how the game shakes out, number 5's reaction will be shared widely on television and across social media.
Asked about his first game against Ramsey since he was traded to Miami in 2023 during his weekly media session, Matthew Stafford acknowledged the challenge of playing against a player as good as the FSU product, as he spent years playing against him in practice.
“I practiced against him for a while there. I have so much respect for who he is as a player and a teammate. He affects the game in so many different ways, even if a lot of times guys are staying away from him. It's basically a one-for-one that he's taking away out there,” McVay told reporters.
“He’s doing a heck of a job like he always does. He's mixing it in there in the run game, finishing plays, blitzing, sacking the quarterback, and getting a tipped interception last week. He's doing all the things you want from Jalen Ramsey, and I got a ton of respect for him. I had an amazing time playing with him as a teammate and that'll be a big challenge for us come Monday night.”
You know, when it comes down to it, Stafford's assessment might actually be putting it kindly, as he's currently the second-ranked cornerback in the NFL out of 108 qualifying players, according to PFF. If the Rams are going to pull out a win in Week 10, knowing where Ramsey is at all times is going to be incredibly important for Stafford every single snap.
Matthew Stafford acknowledges the challenge the Rams have ahead
Elsewhere in his weekly media session, Stafford was asked about opposing teams bringing out new looks weekly to combat his veteran experience. While Stafford doesn't know exactly what is going on in opposing locker rooms weekly, he did acknowledge that because of his and Sean McVay's pedigree, teams are often trying to draw up something new to give him a hard time.
“Yeah, it does some. A lot of times you prepare for something, you go out there being a veteran quarterback [and having] a respected play caller like [Head Coach] Sean [McVay],you get a lot of different stuff than what you see on tape. It’s more about what we do than what the other team does,” Stafford told reporters.
“Obviously, there were some plays that when you look back [on] last week, we could have done a whole lot better that would've given us opportunities to put points on the board. If we can just execute a little bit better, then we'll play better. That's the biggest takeaway from last week, especially going into this week. I think you look at Miami's defense [they have] fantastic players at all levels, veteran guys that understand what it takes to win in this league, and a really misleading record when you look at how they play football when they're healthy.”
Well, if teams are playing Stafford and his Rams differently than other teams, it's clear the veteran passer hasn't let it slow him down, as he looks as good as he ever has in 2024, and the Rams are white hot at the moment because of it. New Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver is going to have to throw someting pretty creative to show something to Stafford he's never seen before, as after 16 seasons in the NFL, he's pretty much seen it all.
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