Ahern: Betting on Stafford to complete his Super story for Rams vs. Bengals

The biggest gamble of this NFL season came in January 2021 when coach Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams went all in with a bet on quarterback Matthew Stafford. A meeting on the beach in Cabo between the parties sealed the deal.

The Rams sent the Detroit Lions a pair of first-round picks, a third-rounder and QB Jared Goff for a 33-year-old with 74-90-1 career record and an 0-3 mark in postseason games.

Talk about going with your gut.

Stafford had been battered over 12 years playing in Detroit for an inept ownership that so badly mismanaged the franchise over the years that two Hall of Famers, Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, abruptly ended their careers in their prime.

Stafford wanted no such finish to his tenure and the Lions granted him his wish to be dealt elsewhere.

In Detroit, Stafford was seemingly playing with an arm tied behind his back with little support up front, in the backfield or among the receiving corps. His statistics and his body suffered from the dearth of talent around him.

But in the tough-as-nails, gunslinging Stafford, McVay believed he saw the missing piece to his Super Bowl puzzle. Sunday, against wunderkind Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, we’ll see if McVay proved prescient.

So far Stafford has delivered for the Rams. He led L.A. to a 12-5 regular-season mark then reeled off consecutive playoff wins over the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers. Most impressively he countered the greatest NFL quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady, in a cool comeback effort in Tampa. It was the kind of win McVay expected all along.

One more such outing against Burrow and the Bengals and McVay will cash his Super Bowl ticket. He and the Rams have been to the brink before with Goff, only to be foiled by the Patriots in Super Bowl 53.

This time, Stafford gets L.A. over the top.

There’s reason to believe Stafford and the Rams will complete the mission. He has potent offensive weapons in both the passing and running games with Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., Cam Akers and Sony Michel. An efficient offensive line gives the veteran QB plenty of time to operate.

And the Rams’ defense will put plenty of pressure on Burrow, with Aaron Donald and Co. breathing down his neck.

Fueled by faith in Stafford, here are some bets to look at when Super Bowl 56 kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday. Sure, they are chalky, but in Stafford we trust.

Money Line

Rams -200 at DraftKings

The Bengals have been a fun story to follow in their Cinderella run to the title game. But these Rams, now led by an elite quarterback in Stafford, are stacked with personnel on both sides of the ball.

Stafford Passing Touchdowns

Over 1.5 -220 at DraftKings

In his playoff run to the Super Bowl, Stafford threw for two TDs against the Cardinals, two against the Bucs and a pair against the 49ers. 

Stafford to win Super Bowl MVP

+ 100 at DraftKings

Stafford writes the final chapter in this Hollywood story with Tinseltown as the backdrop. He throws for three touchdowns and more than 300 yards in vanquishing Cincinnati, 28-20. He cements his legacy as one of the best QBs of his era and makes a case for Hall of Fame consideration.

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