Key Stat Proves Matthew Stafford is Perfect QB for Sean McVay

The Los Angeles Rams trading for Matthew Stafford obviously raised quite a few eyebrows around the league. For one, the Rams had to part ways with two future first-round picks, their 2021 third-round pick and former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. In return they got Stafford, who, while undeniably a supreme talent, has never really been able to win at a consistently high level in the NFL.

However, a deeper look at the numbers shows that Stafford is the perfect fit for what Sean McVay and Los Angeles like to do on offense.

Stafford is one of the most efficient play-action passers in the NFL. He sits No. 2 in Expected Points Added (EPA) on play-action passes over the past two seasons, also leading the NFL in EPA per drop back during that time. It's not like he's doing that by dinking and dunking either, as Stafford's air yards per attempt mark of 10.3 on PA passes ranks No. 4 among all QBs during that two-year span.

But inexplicably, the Detroit Lions only elected to use play action on 23.5% of his dropbacks, which ranks No. 19 in the NFL. That will change in Los Angeles.

McVay and the Rams have utilized play-action passes at a top-three rate in the NFL in all four of his seasons at the helm. Given how efficient Stafford is when using play action, it's not hard to see why the Rams' front office paid such a hefty price to acquire the Georgia product.

Putting Stafford in McVay's offense seems like a match made in football heaven. We'll see if the 35-year-old offensive guru is finally the guy who can get Stafford to play up to his immense potential.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.