Reigning MVP and Rams QB Matthew Stafford leaves Week 1 vs. the 49ers with a 1,411-day rushing TD drought after the NFC West rivalry clash.
The Los Angeles Rams opened Week 1 with a brutal 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, and Matthew Stafford left with another unusual stat attached to his name. The NFC West matchup was already historic because of the setting, but Stafford’s rushing drought added another strange layer. According to StatMuse, the Rams quarterback has now gone 1,411 days without scoring a rushing touchdown.
That number stands out even more after a night when Los Angeles struggled to generate anything consistently. Stafford, the reigning MVP, was held without a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 17 of the 2024 season. The 49ers controlled the game and never allowed the Rams offense to settle into a steady rhythm.
Los Angeles did find the end zone once, but the offense never built any real momentum after that. The 49ers kept Stafford from producing the explosive response fans expected from the league’s reigning MVP. In Australia, the gap between the NFC West rivals looked much wider than expected.
Matthew Stafford faces another slow-start question after Rams loss
USA Today’s H.C. Green pointed out that Stafford also started slowly last season. He threw only five touchdown passes through his first three games before exploding for 41 over the final 14. That worked out to 2.9 touchdown passes per game during that closing stretch.
That history gives Los Angeles some perspective after one ugly opener. The circumstances were unusual, too. The Rams dealt with uncommon travel, an unfamiliar field, and a rare start time as the NFL brought the divisional rivalry to Australia.
Still, none of that changes the scoreboard. San Francisco dominated 27-7, while Stafford’s rushing touchdown drought quietly stretched beyond 1,400 days.
It is only Week 1, but Rams fans now have two questions: how fast can Matthew Stafford heat up, and when will that rushing touchdown drought finally end?
The Rams will get their next chance in Week 2 when they host the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium.
The Los Angeles Rams opened Week 1 with a brutal 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, and Matthew Stafford left with another unusual stat attached to his name. The NFC West matchup was already historic because of the setting, but Stafford’s rushing drought added another strange layer.