The immediate reaction to the Los Angeles Rams acquiring Matthew Stafford was mostly positive. Fans and media members saw the potential that he had in Sean McVay’s offense, expressing excitement over finally seeing Stafford on a team with a competent defense, a good ground game and a coach that can highlight his skill set.

But after a few months, there were some who became almost annoyed by the hype surrounding Stafford’s move to Los Angeles. Headlines around the internet began popping up in an attempt to downplay the impact that Stafford would have in Los Angeles, ranging from Pro Football Focus to Bleacher Report to Sports Illustrated.

Admittedly, there was an overwhelming amount of praise for the Rams’ new quarterback throughout the offseason, despite the fact that he’s never won a playoff game and was voted to the Pro Bowl just once. But after three weeks, Stafford is proving that hype was warranted.

You could make the case he’s been the best quarterback in football through his first three games with the Rams. He’s already thrown nine touchdown passes and only one interception, tying Kurt Warner’s franchise record for the most touchdowns in a player’s first three games of the season. He’s on pace for 5,338 yards and 51 touchdowns, leading the league in QBR and net yards per pass attempt.

The Rams are a perfect 3-0 with wins against three playoff teams from a year ago, scoring 11 touchdowns – all on drives that spanned at least 70 yards. Stafford hasn’t done it alone, but he’s a major reason the Rams are third in scoring and seventh in passing yards through three games.

After being listed as the seventh-favorite to win NFL MVP back in April, he’s since risen to the top spot, tied with Kyler Murray as the co-favorites to take home the award after just three games.

There’s a lot of football left to be played, but Stafford has lived up to the hype in Hollywood. He’s completely transformed the Rams offense, allowing McVay to call whatever play he wants. It’s something that McVay has mentioned a few times already, pointing to Stafford’s ability to succeed off play-action, from under center, out of the gun and on the run. Short of running the ball Murray, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen do, Stafford can do pretty much anything a coach could ask of his quarterback.

“I think he can do so many different things. You’re not limited in any way that you can utilize him,” McVay said on Sept. 17. “I think what you’re saying is, we can do some stuff underneath the center. We were in the shotgun a lot more than what you’ve typically seen in some of those early downs. We have a lot more things that we’re doing both in the gun and underneath the center that you’re presenting to the defense.”

Does this look like a coach who’s happy to have ‘his guy’ at quarterback?

(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Stafford has been more than just a talent upgrade at quarterback over Jared Goff. He’s as smart as any quarterback in the league, making smart adjustments at the line and showing the ability to go through his reads before letting the ball rip.

He hasn’t been forcing passes into areas of tight coverage, either, posting the fifth-lowest aggressiveness rate (throws into tight windows) in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s taking what the defense gives him, whether it’s underneath, deep over the top or somewhere in-between.

His passing chart from Sunday’s win reflects that, throwing short passes a bunch, but also hitting six passes of 10-plus yards.

The varying plan of attack from week to week isn’t coincidental, either. It’s part of the game plan set by McVay, knowing his quarterback can win in multiple different ways. Last season, the Rams played the dink-and-dunk game with Goff. They can do that with Stafford too, but that would be a disservice to his skill set.

“I think each team we go up against presents a new challenge for us every single week and we have to go out there and try to find a way to solve that problem and figure out the best way to score points,” Stafford said after the game. “Some weeks, like this week, it’s going to be throwing the ball a lot more than we run it. You know, other weeks it will be vice versa – maybe down the field, short passes. But I think Sean does a great job of giving us a game plan that really keeps the defense on their toes. I mean, we threw the ball underneath today, we threw screens, we threw it over the top, we ran the ball, we play-actioned, we did a little bit of everything. So when he’s got us going like that, it’s fun to go out there and execute them.”

It’s only been three games, but Stafford has done nothing to suggest the Rams made a mistake by giving up three draft picks and Goff to acquire him. In fact, he’s exceeded expectations up to this point, quickly turning the Rams into a real Super Bowl contender.