Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford played every offensive snap of his team’s 34-31 wild-card win over the Carolina Panthers but wasn’t quite at 100% while doing so.
Stafford suffered an injury to his throwing hand while attempting a pass at the end of the first half. The 37-year-old quarterback banged his hand on D.J. Wonnum’s arm while trying to follow through.
Stafford immediately recoiled in pain after the play and doubled over on the ground, clutching his hand.
Stafford was able to stay in the game despite the injury and immediately flashed a thumbs-up to Sean McVay after the play. Nonetheless, the veteran quarterback endured some uncharacteristic struggles with his accuracy throughout the third quarter, leading many to wonder about the severity of his potential injury.
Here’s what to know about Stafford’s hand as the Rams start to look ahead toward the NFL’s divisional round.
Matthew Stafford injury update
Stafford was asked about his hand injury during a postgame news conference. He told reporters he ‘got a finger bent back’ on the play in question, which led to his reaction on the field.
‘They saw it on the TV on the sideline or whatever. I didn’t obviously know exactly what had happened,’ Stafford explained. ‘It wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t great.’
Stafford didn’t seem overly worried about the injury being a long-term issue for him.
‘We’ll see what it is,’ Stafford said. ‘I was obviously able to finish the game and throw it decent. Once the ball’s snapped, the adrenaline’s pretty good. So we’ll hopefully just keep it going.’
Nonetheless, Stafford’s practice status will warrant monitoring as the Rams prepare for their divisional-round playoff game.
Who is the Rams backup QB?
If Stafford’s injury ends up being worse in severity than initially anticipated, Los Angeles would turn to Jimmy Garoppolo to lead it as the team chases a Super Bowl.
Garoppolo, 34, is in his second season with the Rams. He didn’t attempt a pass this season but went 0-1 as a starter for Sean McVay’s squad last year while completing 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Garoppolo has started 64 games across his 12 NFL seasons since being a second-round pick by the New England Patriots in the 2014 NFL Draft. The Eastern Illinois product has a 43-21 career record across those starts and helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to Super Bowl 54. They lost that game 31-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs in what was Patrick Mahomes’ first career Super Bowl win.
Rams QB depth chart
The Rams have three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Below is a look at the pecking order within the group:
- Matthew Stafford
- Jimmy Garoppolo
- Stetson Bennett IV
Bennett was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at Georgia and helped lead the Bulldogs to two national championships.
Bennett has not yet played a snap at the NFL level but was designated the team’s emergency third quarterback for the team’s wild-card win over the Panthers.