Matthew Stafford has been banged up on Sunday night. After cutting his right hand on a defender’s helmet in the first half, the Los Angeles Rams quarterback went down after taking a hard shot in the second half. What happened to Stafford on Sunday night as he faced the Detroit Lions, his former team, in the Wild Card Round?
Matthew Stafford Injury Update
Stafford cut his right hand on Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeil’s helmet after making a throw in the first quarter of Sunday’s game. NBC’s broadcast showed Stafford receiving attention from the Rams’ medical staff on the sideline while Los Angeles was on defense, but he never left the contest.
Near the end of the third quarter, Stafford went down after taking a hit from multiple Lions pass rushers. He appeared to be in significant pain as he went to Detroit’s sideline.
Matthew Stafford took a nasty hit and is now in the blue medical tent…and the concussion specialist is in the tent with him.pic.twitter.com/WfK7qSr19W
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 15, 2024
Stafford went straight to the blue medical tent for further evaluation and was presumably checked — and cleared — for a concussion. He returned for the Rams’ next offensive drive without missing a snap.
If the Rams win on Sunday, they’ll travel to play either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round.
If Stafford goes down during LA’s playoff run, the Rams will turn to backup QB Carson Wentz, who signed with the club in November. Brett Rypien began the 2023 season as Stafford’s No. 2 but was released after completing fewer than 50% of his passes in a dismal Week 9 start against the Green Bay Packers.
Rypien started that game because Stafford had suffered a right hand injury, spraining a ligament in his thumb. But that ended up being the only contest the 35-year-old Stafford missed this season after injuries limited him to nine appearances in 2022.
