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.

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.