By The Associated Press Los Angeles Rams (4-5) at New England (3-7) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, FOX BetMGM NFL odds: Rams by 5. Against the spread: Rams 3-6; Patriots 4-5-1. Series record: Patriots lead

Matthew Stafford remembers what didn’t go right during his last visit to New England, in 2014 when he was still with the Detroit Lions. “We came in with I think the No. 1 or top five rush defense in the league.

Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay never played in New England with the Rams, but they did lose there as members of Detroit and Washington, respectively.

The Los Angeles Rams definitely have to start thinking about life after Matthew Stafford.Yes, the Rams are contending for a playoff spot this season, and sure, Stafford is still at least serviceable under center.But it's becoming more and more apparent that Stafford's best days are behind him, and with the veteran quarterback being 36 years old, Los Angeles should have some potential replacements in mind.The Rams could ultimately turn to the 2025 NFL Draft to find their Stafford successor, and Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports has identified a possible candidate for them: Texas Longhorns star Quinn Ewers."Ewers gets to learn from another former huge recruit with a cannon for an arm before taking over in 2026," Trapasso wrote.In other words, Ewers would be mentored by Stafford next season and then supplant him as the starter by 2026.Of course, Stafford is under contract through 2026, so unless he retires or falls off a cliff between now and then (both of which are possibilities), Ewers may have to wait until 2027 to take the reins under center.That being said, there is no question that Ewers would represent an intriguing follow-up act for Stafford, who brought Los Angeles a Super Bowl title during the 2021-22 campaign.Ewers has thrown for 1,722 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 69.3 percent of his passes in 2024.The issue with Ewers is that he is not really a dual-threat quarterback, and while Stafford isn't either, Stafford entered the league at a time where that wasn't as common of a thing.In today's game, being able to get out of the pocket and run with the football is becoming almost a necessity for signal-callers, so the fact that Ewers does not have that in his arsenal is a bit concerning and is part of the reason why his draft stock has slipped a bit.The problem for the Rams is that they almost surely won't have one of the top picks in the draft, so explosive threats like Cam Ward and Jalen Milroe will probably be out of their reach.All things considered, Ewers has terrific arm talent, which could be enough for him to establish himself as a good quarterback on the NFL level.Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @RamsInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HEREThis article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams as REPORT: Rams Projected To Land Exciting Matthew Stafford Replacement.

There was a time when Matthew Stafford was one of the best quarterbacks in football. The Los Angeles Rams experienced that first-hand in 2021, when Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl championship during his debut campaign with the team. But now?