Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford get high slot in HC-QB rankings
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford felt like a match made in football heaven upon the latter’s arrival in SoCal three years ago. They were such a perfect match that they helped lead the Rams to their first Super Bowl victory in over two decades.
Despite not having the same success in the past two years, this duo is still held in high regard around the NFL. Some might say McVay and Stafford are right near the top of the league when it comes to head coach-QB combos.
“In 2021, the Los Angeles Rams swapped out Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford and immediately reaped the benefits, winning Super Bowl 56 over the Cincinnati Bengals… With this duo, the Rams have made the playoffs in two of the previous three years, going 4-1 with Stafford throwing for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in those games,” Maurice Moton wrote for Bleacher Report.
McVay and Stafford certainly have a compelling argument on their side. Bleacher Report ranks them No. 2 despite having missed the playoffs in 2022-23. However, much of that down year was due to injuries, including Stafford missing eight games due to a spinal cord contusion among other things.
Considering they’ve been ranked ahead of every other coach-QB tandem in the league except one, you can’t ask for much higher praise. The only team McVay and Stafford finished behind on this list is the reigning back-to-back champions. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are the undisputed champions in multiple categories.
Some of the other candidates in the top 10 include Baltimore’s John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson, Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow (whom the Rams beat in Super Bowl LVI) and Buffalo’s Sean McDermott and Josh Allen. Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy are also in the running.
The McVay-Stafford duo beat out some stiff competition for that No. 2 ranking. Now all they’ve got to do is back up that ranking during the 2024 campaign. Can they, do it? We’ll find out soon.
