Drew Brees gets honest about Rams' Matthew Stafford after loss to Seahawks

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 25: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

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Matthew Couden

By Matthew Couden

Contributing Writer

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A disappointing loss against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game brought an end to Matthew Stafford's attempt to compete for another Super Bowl ring.

The 37-year-old quarterback performed remarkably in his team's game, throwing 22-of-35 completions for 374 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Unfortunately, his performance wasn't enough to overcome some of his team's costly mistakes, including Xavier Smith muffing a punt in the third quarter.

The Seahawks won the game 31-27 in another thrilling clash between the two teams, who had their second meeting of the regular season decided in overtime weeks ago. Unfortunately, this latest matchup was to produce a team to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX, and it won't be Stafford's Rams.

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026, in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

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On Monday, various individuals reacted to this weekend's results, with former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees joining "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" to discuss Stafford's latest outcome.

Cowherd brought up the idea of Stafford playing amazingly well and still losing. He asked Brees whether coming up short in a game of such significance, like the NFC Championship, can weigh on a losing team's quarterback during the offseason.

“Yes, it does last. Certainly, I think any great competitor is always going to think about some of the ones that got away, and maybe there’s a play or two that just kind of linger," Brees told Cowherd.

On the other side, Seattle's Sam Darnold also played brilliantly, earning his first trip to the Super Bowl in his career, which included stints with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and Minnesota Vikings.

He also said that "Stafford has played phenomenal all season long" and throughout the postseason. He said the Rams played in a difficult division and only ended up as the No. 2 seed because of that wild overtime loss to Seattle several weeks ago.

Brees mentioned that the Rams then had to get through "all these crazy sequences of events" in the NFL Playoffs by winning road games against the Panthers and Chicago Bears. The former New Orleans Saints superstar said they even had a chance to win in the NFC Championship, and that probably will weigh on Stafford some.

“I hope Stafford keeps playing for another three or four years, you know, because I think that team is built to win,” he stated.

Stafford’s been in the league since 2009, when he became the No. 1 pick for the Detroit Lions, but couldn’t bring them to the Super Bowl. After joining the Rams’ roster in 2021, he won Super Bowl LVI 2022 under head coach Sean McVay.

After Sunday's loss, it's back to the drawing board for Stafford, McVay, and the Rams after another season in which they could've reached the Super Bowl. As long as Stafford sticks around with that talented roster, the Rams seem to be among the strong contenders to reach and win the big game.