The Los Angeles Rams easily beat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, winning 42-26. The defense came to play, but even more impressive was the performance of Matthew Stafford.
The 37-year-old quarterback is playing at an all-time great level in 2025, and he went 24/36 for 280 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. It was another great performance for Stafford, and it made for some surprising personal history.
As ESPN Insights shared after the game, this Week 10 win in Stafford's 17th season was the first time that he's ever been.500 in his career. His record is 115-115-1, and it's the first time in his 231 starts that he's been at a.500 record.
How Matthew Stafford finally got to a.500 record
Stafford began his NFL career with the Detroit Lions, and in his debut season, he lost his first two games, winning his third, then losing six of his next seven games to fall to a 2-8 record in his rookie year.
Matthew Stafford just reached a.500 career win percentage for the first time 😮
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) November 10, 2025
At 231 starts, that's the most starts by a QB before reaching.500 since starts were first tracked in 1950. Pic.twitter.com/JQRvKVvdxx
He then went 1-2 in 2010, followed by a 10-6 record in 2011, securing his first winning record in his NFL career. But in 2012, his record took a nose-dive with a 4-12 season, the worst year of his NFL career.
In his Lions career, Stafford wound up with a 74-90-1 record, with his best season being an 11-5 2014 season. His final year in Detroit was a 5-11 season, setting Stafford well behind a.500 record in his career.
Then, in 2021, Stafford was traded to the Rams, where he immediately turned his career around. In the five seasons with the Rams, Stafford has a 41-25 record, finally getting back to.500 in his NFL career, 17 years and 231 starts later.
More: Matthew Stafford stats: Rams QB bolsters MVP case with dominant performance against 49ers
This feat shows just how tough of a time Stafford had in Detroit, while having such incredible years since coming to Los Angeles.
The Rams won the 2021 Super Bowl and have been to the playoffs three total times in the four years since Stafford came to Los Angeles. Those three playoff berths matched his 12 seasons in Detroit, where he made the playoffs just three times in 2011, 2014, and 2016.
Stafford has been an incredible pickup for the Rams, and this season, in year 17 and in his age-37 season, the veteran and future Hall of Fame quarterback is playing at an elite level.
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