Matthew Stafford's season could have been even better if not for drops

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford put together one of the most efficient seasons of his career in 2025, one that ended with league-leading stats and an MVP trophy. But those numbers could have been even better if not for a litany of drops this past season.

Stafford lost 42.15 expected points added to drops, the fifth-highest total in the league, according to nflfastR and FTN Charting data (via Nutshell Sports).

A look at how much EPA quarterbacks lost because of drops during the 2025 NFL season.

Dak Prescott and Trevor Lawrence lost the most EPA to drops.

Drop data via @FTNFantasy charting pic.twitter.com/UyeMZQn0kW

— Nutshell Sports (@NutshellSportz) July 10, 2026

That figure ranks Stafford behind only Dak Prescott (70.15), Trevor Lawrence (67.58), Jared Goff (66.7) and Cam Ward (56.8) — and ahead of far more turnover-prone or lower-efficiency passers. In other words, Stafford was already playing at an elite level, and his receivers left a significant chunk of production on the field.

The drops were spread across L.A.'s pass-catching corps. Davante Adams led the way with five drops on the season, tied for the 23rd-most in the league among qualifying receivers, despite still posting a robust 110.7 passer rating on his targets and finishing with a league-high 14 touchdowns. Puka Nacua added four drops of his own, while tight ends Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee and Davis Allen each had three. Running back Blake Corum chipped in three drops as well, on just 14 targets — a 21.4% drop rate that stands out even in a small sample.

Nacua's drop rate (2.4%) was still low relative to his target volume, but Corum's number underscores how even marginal usage in the passing game came with inefficiency attached. Parkinson's 5.4% drop rate and Mumpfield's 8.7% also chipped away at possessions that could have extended drives or turned into scores.

Adams still finished as one of Stafford's most reliable options by rate stats, and Nacua's monster season (129 catches, 1,715 yards) speaks for itself. But the cumulative effect of two dozen drops on a quarterback who was already producing at a top-five clip in the league is notable. Had even half of those drops been secured, Stafford's counting numbers — and his case in any MVP or Pro Bowl conversation — would look even more dominant.

For a 37-year-old quarterback often discussed in terms of what he has left, the 2025 drop data suggests he's still playing at a level that outpaces the stats his teammates helped shape. The hope is that the disconnect that plagued Adams and Stafford early in the year doesn't carry over into 2026, and the same goes for the young and inexperienced receivers who also dropped passes.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford's season could have been even better if not for drops