It was a free play, but it wouldn’t have been a big play if not for some important pregame prep work.
Matthew Stafford said his 61-yard bomb to Golden Tate early in the third quarter of Sunday’s 31-28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams was the product of some extra film study last week.
“All week, I kind of had watched these guys, and it’s tough to hold the ball against them,” Stafford said. “They have a great rush, and (I) kind of watched some tape, and some quarterback’s looking one way ... and the backside corner just kind of, for whatever reason, kind of sloughing off, thinking the play’s over.