Eagles’ Darius Slay, others have high respect level for Matthew Stafford: ‘He’s arguably still a top-five QB’

PHILADELPHIA — Matthew Stafford may not go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. There is a case for Stafford for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, however. 

Stafford is 10th in NFL history in passing yards (58,604) and passing touchdowns (370), a list he continues to climb as the games go by. His 46 career game-winning drives and 36 career fourth-quarter comebacks also rank fifth in NFL history. Doesn’t hurt Stafford has a Super Bowl championship on his resume. 

“The arm talent is strong man, people be thinking about the no-look pass from [Mahomes], Staff been doing that for a long, long, long time, and especially at a high level,” said Eagles cornerback Darius Slay, who was teammates with Stafford with the Detroit Lions from 2013 to 2019. “So, yeah 36 years old. Man, as you see, his arm still like it’s 25 years old so he’s still slinging that so shout out to Staff.”

The numbers are still there for Stafford, as he’s completed 66.5% of his passes for 2,557 yards with 13 touchdowns to seven interceptions and a 92.1 passer rating. Still in the top-10 in pass yards per game (255.7) and game-winning drives (2), Stafford is still playing at a high level, even though he’s in year 16. 

“Still holding it down at the quarterback position, still playing at elite level,” Slay said. “He still, I think he’s arguably still a top-five quarterback.”

The Rams offense is certainly one of the most dangerous in the NFL when they have running back Kyren Williams and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua healthy. Los Angeles is 9-4 in over the last two seasons when all four of those players are on the field. When Nacua returned to the lineup on Sunday, Stafford went 13 of 19 for 229 yards and three touchdowns targeting him and Kupp. 

The Eagles faced that full arsenal last season, as Stafford finished 21 of 37 for 22 yards with two touchdowns and a 92.4 rating. Kupp had eight catches for 118 yards while Nacua had seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, but the Eagles won the game. 

Reed Blankenship, who played in that game last season, came away impressed with how Stafford honed his craft. 

“One of the best quarterbacks I ever faced,” said Eagles safety Reed Blankenship. “They’re a nitty-gritty team, and their receivers love to block – everybody, Cooper Kupp included. 

“When you face a group like that, it’s a challenge. At the end of the day, you gotta play, play fast, play hard.”

The Eagles know they’re in for a challenge on Sunday. It all starts with Stafford. 

“I know a lot of guys up here with MVP numbers,” Slay said. “But arm talent and smartness and reading coverages and all that kind of great stuff. Staff is up there.”