Matthew Stafford saved the Rams from a disastrous loss by making a throw he had dreamed of his whole career

The Los Angeles Rams were in trouble.

After jumping out to a 27-3 lead, the Rams gave up 24 unanswered points in 18 minutes of the game. Mental mistakes, turnovers, and shaky nerves across the sidelines had turned what looked like an easy win upside down.

It felt like a Tom Brady and the Buccaneers' comeback win was inevitable when the game was tied at 27 with 42 seconds left in regulation.

The Rams were not going to sit back and play for overtime even though they only had one timeout.

With time winding down, Matthew Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on two plays in a row, the second coming in stride for a 44-yard gain to move the Rams to the 10-yard line.

January 23, 2022.

The Rams rushed to the line, spiked the ball, and kicker Matt Gay hit a 30-yard field goal to win the game.

The Rams were going to the title game.

It was something out of a dream for Stafford.

The biggest shake-up of the off-season was Matthew Stafford's move from the Detroit Lions to the Los Angeles Rams.

After being taken with the first overall pick of the 2009, Stafford spent the first 12 years of his career in Detroit, but never found any real success with the Lions. Detroit failed to play in games with any consequence for years.

He was hoping that he would get the chance to make a play when he moved to the Rams.

I just want to play in big games. Over the summer, Stafford told a reporter. I want to be able to make big-time plays in the fourth quarter against really good teams, rather than having to play on a Sunday.

It's hard to imagine a bigger play against a better team. With their backs against the wall, the Rams rallied on the shoulders of Stafford and his top target.

You can tell what the play meant to Stafford by watching him run down the field after the play.

All my jeffs are gone.

The Rams will host the playoffs at their home arena Sofi Stadium. They'll be through to the Super Bowl if they win there and it happens to be at Sofi Stadium this year.

Stafford waited his entire career to lead a closing drive like the one he did on Sunday. He will get the chance to pull that rabbit out of a hat again next week, and possibly in the Super Bowl.

If you make a big-time play in the fourth quarter against a really good team, you get to do it again. You can win a championship if you do it enough times.

Stafford finally got a taste of what it's like to fulfill that dream, and doesn't look to be stopping any time soon.