Rams fans have learned in just five games that Matthew Stafford can make every throw in the book. He can even make the ones where he’s not looking at his intended receiver.
Very quietly, Stafford has become a master of the no-look pass, generating far less buzz than Patrick Mahomes does when he pulls of those throws. Yet, in just five games with the Rams, Stafford has already completed several no-look passes.
Against the Seahawks on Thursday night, you may have missed his awesome no-look throw to Robert Woods over the middle for a 20-yard gain. It wasn’t completely obvious when it happened, but plenty of hawk-eyed fans noticed it.
Here’s a look at the throw, which helped move the chains and set up a touchdown three plays later.
As you can see, Stafford keeps his eyes on the underneath receiver, Cooper Kupp, to hold the cornerback where he was planted. That allowed Woods to sneak behind the second level, where Stafford hit him in the numbers for a 20-yard pickup.
It’s a bit easier to see from this goal line angle in slow-mo.
And once again, here’s another look at it. You can tell Stafford’s head is facing Kupp, but he throws slightly across his body to Woods before he even comes open.
That’s not a throw many quarterbacks will even attempt, let alone complete. Yet, Stafford put it right on the money between three defenders to move the chains.
These are the types of plays that set him apart from average quarterbacks and make him an upgrade over Jared Goff, like Sean McVay expected him to be. No one’s saying Goff would be a better quarterback if he could make no-look throws, but it’s Stafford’s ingenuity and vision that put him among the league’s top passers right now.