That play also demonstrated the protectors' preparedness, as Stafford had all day to hang in the pocket. Center Coleman Shelton said that understanding of opposing rush tendencies starts with his and Stafford's film study during the week.
Teams display keys and pre-snap indicators for blitzes and stunts off of them that Shelton and Stafford try to recognize and pass on to the rest of the blockers. But, ultimately, Shelton said that "whatever (Stafford) says, goes," which is good, because he's usually right. He can often be seen checking in or out of plays and pointing out rushers at the line.
"It's freeing when Matthew's right there and we're on the same page and we can do everything together," Shelton said.
Stafford is "one of the best in the world" when it comes to diagnosing blitzes and adjusting his reads accordingly, Shelton added, and that's showed up both on tape and the stat sheet this season.
"It gives everyone else the confidence to be able to go out and do our thing and gives the offensive line the confidence to know we're doing the right thing," Shelton said.
Offensive lineman Rob Havenstein said that veteran presence along with the continuity they've enjoyed up front over the past few seasons have given them a detailed understanding of Stafford's preferences on each play. So when blitzes come, they know where and when to prioritize their protection because they are all keyed in to his tendencies as a passer.
They know what his drop depth is, when he wants to hang back in the pocket versus step up, along with when in the play he likes to do so. On the pass to Ferguson, they knew Stafford was dropping deep to hit a downfield shot, so they set up an arc with double teams and an eight-man guard to give him that time.
But when the blitz does generate pressure, Stafford knows where his quick reads are. On a 3rd-and-7 in the fourth quarter, red jerseys collapsed the pocket on a six-man rush against 11 personnel, so Stafford flicked a pass out to tight end Tyler Higbee in the flat to convert before taking a big hit, which ultimately led to Parkinson's touchdown a few plays later.
"To be able to understand, 'Where are my quick element throws if I need it? What are the outlets? What are the issues that they're presenting from a protection and from a coverage contour perspective?'" said head coach Sean McVay. "He's a guy that's in command."
Over the past three games, all 13 of Stafford's touchdown passes have come against the blitz. No other quarterback has thrown four touchdowns in a single game against five-plus rushers, while Stafford has done so in three-straight, and they've come from a variety of looks.
On the goal line, Stafford knows he'll likely get one-on-one matchups with at least five rushers, and he often trusts skill players like wide receiver Davante Adams to beat their man, which is exactly what happened in the third quarter on Sunday. Other times, the play call beats the blitz on its own, like it did on Nacua's 22-yard touchdown off a screen early on.
It doesn't matter what rush the defense throws at them, Stafford and McVay always have exhaustive plans and contingencies to beat it.
"I think he's handling the different situations where blitzes are more likely to occur really well over the last handful of weeks and he is handling the other situations where maybe that's not as prevalent really well also," McVay said. "I think it's really a reflection of the complete body of work that he's had."
While the Rams' Week 11 opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, blitz at the NFL's second-lowest rate (19.1%), their pressure rate on those snaps leads the league (54.5%). But they haven't played Stafford yet. No matter how much they try to lull the Rams' offense into a false sense of security, they'll be ready for the onslaught when it comes.