Matthew Stafford has a playoff win, big opportunity vs. Bucs

By Peter Schrager
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Welcome to the divisional playoff round edition of the Schrager Cheat Sheet.

Each week, I take a look at several things you need to know heading into the NFL weekend. This week we examine the great opportunity Matthew Stafford has in front of him, break down the secrets to Deebo Samuel's success, look at the case for Raheem Morris to be a head coach and more.

1. Stafford gets the monkey off his back

Matthew Stafford got his long-awaited first playoff win Monday, but he didn't seem too impressed or overly relieved. With the victory, he extinguished a glaring red flag on his résumé; he's no longer the NFL QB with the most regular-season starts without a playoff win.

But Stafford didn't do the proverbial "monkey off my back" thing that Steve Young did when he won the Super Bowl. He didn't even take a victory lap. No, he barely acknowledged the feat. 

"I think it means a lot more to you guys," he told reporters after the 34-11 win over the Cardinals. "I just want to be a part of this team and help us win. I trust in myself, trust in my abilities, trust in my teammates. I'll go out there and play and let the chips fall where they may."

The chips fell perfectly for Stafford on Monday. The Rams' running game was punishing (the NFL might forever erase the footage of that Cam Akers run over Budda Baker because Baker got hurt, but it was legal, and it was special), the defense was suffocating, and Arizona's QB and offensive game plan were atrocious.

But Stafford was dialed in, and when he did throw, he was absolutely dealing. The TD pass to Odell Beckham Jr. was perfect, the Cooper Kupp play was special, and in the second half, it sure felt like Sean McVay and OC Kevin O'Connell called off the dogs. 

Stafford has Tom Brady and the swarming Bucs D up next on Sunday, and the whole world knows the Rams didn't go out and get Stafford just to win a wild-card game. But he's going into the contest having played one of his best games of the season, and he did so with relative ease. Los Angeles destroyed Tampa Bay 34-24 in September and beat them on a Monday night at Raymond James last season.

Stafford might not have been impressed or moved by his win Monday, but a victory over Brady and the defending champions in their building? That would be something.

It also wouldn't be a huge upset.

2. Deebo's world

Deebo Samuel is incredible. We know that already. As I mentioned in last week's column, for as much as teams have been looking to replicate him or "find" another player like him in the draft the past two years, they have come up empty. 

Why? Well, it's a combination of things. 

First, it's rare to find a player with the vision and running ability that Samuel has. He patiently hits the hole, waits for his blockers and sees upfield like few other running backs, let alone wide receivers. Mike Robinson, the former Super Bowl fullback of the Seahawks, sits with me on "Good Morning Football," and he made the statement that Samuel has open-field vision as good as anyone. It might have upset some running backs in the league to hear that, but it's a fact. 

The 49ers are 7-0 when Samuel carries the ball five times or more, and he's averaging a TD every 7.5 carries. Those are unbelievable statistics, especially when you consider how many nights and film sessions opposing defensive coordinators devote to stopping him.

But there are two other keys to Samuel's success. How about the coaches who draw these plays up? Whether it's the end-around, the toss or the WR sweeps, those are all crafted by head coach Kyle Shanahan and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. McDaniel, who interviewed with the Dolphins for their HC job on Wednesday, has worked with Shanahan in Cleveland, Atlanta and now San Francisco. The two of them, along with several other coaches on the staff, create ways week-to-week to get Samuel the ball.

The last piece to this is the rest of the players on the 49ers' offense. George Kittle's numbers have dipped the past four games, with just nine catches for 78 yards and no touchdowns. But he hasn't complained. Instead, he has turned his blocking game on and dominated as almost a sixth offensive lineman. 

Add in the blocking work of Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk, and there is selfless, hard-nosed football being played by San Francisco's receivers. The offensive line is among the best in the league, and Kyle Juszczyk is arguably the most versatile fullback in the sport. All of these players have to be "all-in" for Deebo to be used like he is. They are. It works.

3. Houston, we don't have a problem

I like what the Texans are doing in their search for the franchise's fifth head coach. I've seen a lot of eye-rolling over the fact that they interviewed Hines Ward for the job, but I found it quite refreshing. 

See, the Texans aren't looking for a quick fix or the hot new coordinator who has everyone abuzz. They know they're more than a year away and are looking to build a culture. They still have Lovie Smith as their defensive coordinator, and they can hire a plethora of wiz kids to draw up an offense.

In the head coach role, they're looking for someone players and employees can look to as a leader and ambassador for all that the franchise wants to be. If Hines Ward comes into Houston — though there might be snickers and memes on the Internet — there wouldn't be a single player in that locker room whose attention he wouldn't have. There isn't a soul in the NFL who can say that Ward is ill-equipped to lead or that he lacks the experience of seeing what it takes to run a winning franchise.

I don't think Houston is finished interviewing former players. One name I've heard is Josh McCown, a 16-year NFL veteran who played for nine teams and was a leading member of the NFL's Player Coalition. McCown is an East Texas legend who has the respect of just about everyone he has worked with. Ward and McCown are just two names, and there could be more.

The Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash despite his not having any coaching experience. Steve Kerr was brought in to guide the Golden State Warriors. Both men have helped build cultures and are surrounded by great assistants.

Houston is doing nothing wrong by meeting with as many people as possible. As outside-the-box as that sounds, the process is sound. I'm in favor of teams that try something new, especially when so many have failed doing it the same old way for so many years.

4. The case for Rah

Raheem Morris is the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, and on Tuesday, he was asked to interview for the Minnesota Vikings' head coach job. With eight — and potentially nine — HC openings, I sure hope Morris is considered for more.

I have built relationships in recent years with a handful of great, young NFL head coaches in McVay, Shanahan and Matt LaFleur. All three have been extremely vocal about how instrumental Morris was in their development as coaches and what a leader of men he is. All three worked with Morris in Washington, Shanahan and LaFleur were with him in Atlanta, and Shanahan overlapped with Morris in Tampa Bay, too. Add Mike Tomlin, who is one of Morris' mentors from their time together as Bucs assistants, and that's a pretty good group of coaches who speak the world of the 45-year-old Rams DC.

I also think Morris' time in Tampa Bay shouldn't be used against him. No, the Bucs never went to the playoffs. But as a 34-year-old head coach who had Josh Freeman as his quarterback, Morris won 10 games. That was 11 years ago. He got fired — rightfully or not — when the Bucs were in a tailspin as a franchise. 

He decided to build from the bottom in his next stops. He has been a special-teams coach, a defensive backs coach, a wide receivers coach, a defensive coordinator and an interim head coach in the years since.

Morris isn't a "Look at me!" coach, but those in the know swear by him. I'd like to think that's enough for him to get at least a few more interviews over the next several days.

5. The Super Bowl in L.A.

It's happening. Don't buy the hype that it's not. The city of Los Angeles wants the Super Bowl in L.A. The NFL wants the Super Bowl in L.A. The Rams and the Chargers want the Super Bowl in L.A. Those are the only entities that really matter.

And I'm bullish on it being an absolute hit. If the turnout in the wild-card round from both fans and celebrities in L.A. (hello, Will Ferrell!) was any sign of how successful and star-studded a playoff atmosphere can be at SoFi Stadium, just imagine the Super Bowl.

I don't work in the music industry, so I can't tell you why the Grammy Awards were postponed. I cover the NFL. And I can assure you that no acts or entities in that world are canceling any plans on the big event.

Super Bowl 56 could feature a lot of great combinations of AFC and NFC teams. Mix and match the storylines and the fan bases involved however you want. But as of now, the location isn't up for debate. It never really was.

Peter Schrager is an NFL writer for FOX Sports and a host of "Good Morning Football" on NFL Network.