Matthew Stafford rarely succeeds on quarterback sneaks, but Rams tried one anyway

With the Rams facing fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line on Thursday night, Matthew Stafford attempted a quarterback sneak. It did not go well: Stafford took the snap and fell into the line, going nowhere and ending what had been an excellent drive just short of the goal line.

That raised an obvious question: Why was a quarterback sneak the play call? Stafford isn’t Jalen Hurts or Josh Allen. He’s a 38-year-old who attempted two quarterback sneaks last year and failed on both of them, and who didn’t gain as much as a single rushing first down in 17 regular-season games last year.

Rams coach Sean McVay said after the game that he viewed failing to score at the end of that 12-play, 72-yard drive as the moment the wind went out of the Rams’ sails.

“We go right down the field and then we don’t get in on the QB sneak, and things got out of hand from there,” McVay said.

Given that, McVay needs to look in the mirror at his own play-calling decision. Stafford confirmed that the sneak was a called play and not something he did on his own.

“I’ve just got to find a way to get in,” Stafford said.

If McVay wanted to sneak it in from the 1-yard line, it would have made more sense for the Rams to snap the ball to a tight end or running back, which many teams with aging or immobile quarterbacks do. Or McVay simply could have called another short-yardage play. McVay’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-goal was a good one, but the play call was a bad one.