Matthew Stafford did not have a strong outing on Thursday night when the Los Angeles Rams took on the Buffalo Bills. But the Rams quarterback did something only a handful of quarterbacks in NFL history have done. As mentioned by CBS Sports, Stafford became the 12th quarterback to reach 50,000 career passing yards. He reached the milestone in his 183rd career game, matching Drew Brees for the fastest in NFL history.
As of Friday, Stafford has 50,235 career passing yards which puts him 12th on the all-time list. He will likely move up to 11th place by the end of the year as John Elway, who is right in front of Stafford, has 51,475 passing yards. Stafford is also 12th on the all-time passing touchdowns list with 324. He could pass Fran Tarkenton on the list this year has he finished his career with 342 touchdowns.
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But Stafford wasn’t thinking about making NFL history after the Rams’ 31-10 loss to the Bills. He was thinking about how the team can get better going forward. “The one thing that gives me a good feeling is knowing the guys in that locker room and knowing how we’re going to all band together, look at each other look inward first and go, ‘Hey, what can I do to be better for the guy next to me,” Stafford told reporters, per the Rams’ official website. He also said, “I can just try to play within myself as much as I possibly can. Don’t try to force anything in any situation. And then just keep leading and keep fighting,”
Stafford joined the Rams last year after spending 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions. And his first season with the Rams, Stafford led the team to a Super Bowl title while throwing for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns in the regular season. With over 50,000 passing yards, 324 touchdowns and a Super Bowl title, Stafford is making a case to be a Hall of Fame when his career is said and done. But the goal now is to make history again as the first team since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004 to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles. The Rams will look to get back on track next week when they face the Atlanta Falcons in their second game of the year.
