Turf Show Times
Earlier this week I asked whether the 2026 Los Angeles Rams deserved comparisons to the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles “Dream Team”.
What is certain about the premise of this question is that the Rams are a very good team. Probably the best of the Sean McVay era and possibly the most talented team on paper in franchise history. The same could be said, to an extent, about the 2021 Rams squad that hoisted the Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium.
But if Matthew Stafford wins both of his Super Bowls in Los Angeles supported by a “super team”, what does this say about his career record in comparison to the greats of all time at the quarterback position?
Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady willed the Chiefs and Patriots, respectively, to multiple championships despite being a part of flawed rosters. Nick Foles, Sam Darnold, Jalen Hurts needed more help—inversely—to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
If the Rams again win the Super Bowl this season, one cannot help themselves to wonder whether it was a coincidence that Stafford’s two championships came in “all-in” eras versus when the team was considered more of a work in progress between 2022 and 2025.
2021 Championship Roster 2026 Current Roster Player Position Player Position Matthew Stafford QB Matthew Stafford QB Cooper Kupp WR Puka Nacua WR Aaron Donald DT Myles Garrett EDGE Jalen Ramsey CB Trent McDuffie CB Von Miller EDGE Kyren Williams RB Robert Woods WR Davante Adams WR Leonard Floyd EDGE Byron Young EDGE A’Shawn Robinson DT Kamren Kinchens S Odell Beckham Jr. WR Quentin Lake S Eric Weddle S Kobie Turner DT ### Going “all-in” creates super teams
Following LA’s 2021 trade for Stafford, any outcome for the next season would have been a failure if the result was anything other than a championship. The same expectations hold true again in 2026.
To Stafford’s credit, he’s certainly good enough to keep the train on the tracks and not deter talented rosters from reaching their potential. Not all quarterbacks can say this, like Jimmy Garoppolo on the 2023 49ers.
But one other certainty is that it’s not a positive mark the Rams came up short of a Super Bowl in all other seasons where they did not maximize single year potential by giving up draft resources in future years. LA had been fairly reserved in its roster construction before this offseason. They’ve built through the draft and signed mid-tier free agents, avoiding costly investments that limit flexibility over time.
After coming up just short in the NFC Championship game and losing to the eventual champion Eagles the year before, the...
