​Matthew Stafford posted the second-highest rate of throws to receivers split out wide among qualified quarterbacks in 2025, but the number says more about the Rams’ personnel groupings than it does about scheme preference, according to data from FTN Fantasy.Stafford targeted receivers in the slot on just 33.8% of his throws to wideouts, well below the league norm. FTN’s numbers show he was more effective there, though, than anywhere else on the field. Stafford had a 22.0% DVOA and 353 DYAR on slot targets, compared to 14.1% DVOA and 542 DYAR on throws to receivers lined up wide.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe gap traces back to how often the Rams put multiple tight ends on the field. Los Angeles ran an NFL-record 331 offensive plays out of three-tight-end personnel in 2025, according to Sharp Football Analysis, nearly triple the total of the next-closest team. The volume wasn’t just a novelty — the Rams averaged 8.4 yards per pass play with three or more tight ends on the field, two yards better than the 6.3 league average.Part of that efficiency traces to how defenses chose to respond. Per Sharp, only five defenses played five or more defensive backs against multiple tight end sets on at least half their snaps against those looks: Seattle (79%), Baltimore (68.3%), Chicago (63.4%), San Francisco (54.1%) and Buffalo (50.8%). That means most opponents stayed in base personnel against the Rams’ heavy sets, often leaving lighter boxes and fewer defensive backs to match up with Los Angeles’ skill players. That dynamic benefited whichever receiver ended up split out wide.That usage shows up directly in the slot-wide splits: FTN found the Rams threw a league-high 133 passes with only one true receiver on the field, typically Puka Nacua. Since teams rarely line up a tight end further outside than their lone wideout, Nacua or Davante Adams became the default “wide” receiver.For the Rams, the numbers reinforce what the tape already suggested: the offense wasn’t just heavier than the rest of the league, it was more efficient because of it. Stafford found success on the outside largely as a byproduct of how often Los Angeles kept extra tight ends inline and how rarely defenses matched that personnel with more coverage.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis is part of why Sean McVay is such a great play-caller and offensive schemer. He creates mismatches to force defenses into positions that he and Stafford can exploit. The Rams will look to continue this trend in 2026.This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: This Stafford split reveals how the Rams’ TE-heavy scheme worked