Matthew Stafford said he knew exactly what he was doing when he dumped the ball at Puka Nacua’s feet on a controversial play Monday night

Matthew Stafford saved himself eight yards by shoveling a forward pass toward Puka Nacua while in the grip of Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Jonathan Greenard. It was a savvy veteran play -- one that nearly cost the Los Angeles Rams seven points.

During the first half of Monday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford left football fans baffled by attempting a shovel pass while in the process of being sacked.

The Los Angeles Rams got off to a hot start against the Minnesota Vikings in Monday night's wild-card playoff game. Their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, may have also gotten away with a fumble, or at least intentional grounding, when he pulled off a dangerous pass attempt to avoid a first-half sack.

The Rams jumped out to a 10-point lead, but the Vikings were chipping away. First, Minnesota got on the board with a field goal; then, the Minnesota defense seemed to make a splash play that flipped the entire game.