Indianapolis Colts Media Conference

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Matthew Stafford

Visitors Postgame Press Conference


Rams 29, Colts 23

MATTHEW STAFFORD: Great to get the ball first in the overtime and go down there and just put it away. Just proud of the guys. Proud of the fight. Bunch of guys battling through some stuff to get it done, and it takes everybody. Just really proud of all the guys in that locker room.

Q. This isn't the first time you obviously (indiscernible) through something, like what were the challenges that come with that, especially...

MATTHEW STAFFORD: Moving. (Laughter.) No, it was just -- the hardest part was it was kind of just shutting down the leg a little bit, right, where you feel like you can step and push and normal leg, and then step and push and not normal.

Just the muscles were kind of shutting down. But just kept going. Knew it was just going to be one of those things that was pain/function as long as I could keep it warm on the sideline and keep the function going I was going to try to stay in there.

Those guys kept me clean the majority the day, the guys up front, which was awesome. Guys on the outside made plays, and that's what it's all about at that point. Just proud of those guys.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

MATTHEW STAFFORD: The play before the pick. We had tried to run a keeper. Defensive end jetted up the field and landed what seemed to be full body weight on me; was viewed otherwise.

It just started chirping right there and shouting at me a little bit. But I was good to go.

Q. Into overtime and you're in field goal position, are you thinking, let's...

MATTHEW STAFFORD: Yeah. I've had enough extra football at that point, you know? I'm like, let's go put this thing in. Great play by Puka. Obviously got to go see the tape, but it felt like a little bit of a blown coverage.

I felt like I'm looking down the middle going, man, I'm not seeing somebody in there. Threw it a little bit high just thinking there was somebody standing there and there wasn't, so just happy that he made the play and then got it in so we didn't have to keep going.

Q. Any question in your mind that... (indiscernible.)

MATTHEW STAFFORD: No, I just landed right on it again, which was awesome. But, no. It was going to have to shut all the way down to not keep playing, so I felt like I could -- once the ball was snapped there was enough adrenaline going to get you through it.

Then you throw it and we complete, get tackled or whatever, and it starts talking to you again. It was good. Just a great win for our team. Really proud of the guys. When you think about coming on the road, starting the way we started and having to finish the way we finished there in regulation was tough and guys just never flinched.

Really thought we had a chance to win in that two-minute as well. We were ready to go march down there. Couple good plays by their defense to get the ball off our guys, but just proud of the of the guys today.

Q. Two questions: You had those two shots late in the fourth quarter.

MATTHEW STAFFORD: Yeah.

Q. How happy were you to get -- and the team -- to get another opportunity to kind of do what you have done?

MATTHEW STAFFORD: Yeah, thanks for speaking that one into existence earlier in the week. (Smiling.)

Golly.

But, yeah. I was definitely happy. You have seen big time games where that has gone the other way and guys haven't got the shot. Was really happy to get the shot. Got to play a little bit of normal football as well. Wasn't a two-minute situation at that point. No overtime, so you can kind of play regular football.

So our guys did a great job. Sean did a great job mixing it up for us there. We got some runs off that helped, and hit some plays in the passing game, so just happy to come away with the win.

Q. You change your arm angle often, but with the hip contributing to the different ways you were delivering the ball late in the game?

MATTHEW STAFFORD: I don't know. I'll have to go back and look at it. Not consciously. I was trying just make the throw the way I felt like it needed to be made at the moment. There was a couple. Was hot off a linebacker there late in the game, fourth quarter overtime, and had to throw one down there.

I don't know. I don't think about that kind of stuff. Just try to go out there and play and let the arm angles happen.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

MATTHEW STAFFORD: You don't have to worry about that. I'll be out there.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
137238-1-1041 2023-10-01 23:12:00 GMT

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