Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford found himself sacked four times in last week’s ugly loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For the Super Bowl-winning quarterback, it was another example of him being battered and bruised behind a makeshift offensive line. After all, Stafford has been sacked 28 times in eight games. He’s now on pace to be taken down a career-high 60 times.
Apparently, this is taking a toll on the veteran. Rams head coach Sean McVay announced on Wednesday that Stafford is in the concussion protocol mere days before they are set to take on the Arizona Cardinals in a huge NFC West battle.
With only three days between now and their Week 10 outing, the NFL’s new concussion protocol could come into play here. That’s not great for anyone invested in the Rams’ success moving forward.
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Impact of Matthew Stafford concussion news on the Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles finds itself at 3-5 on the season and three games behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. It is also a game behind the San Francisco 49ers for the final wild card spot in the NFC and has already been swept by the division rival.
Needless to say, Los Angeles is in must-win mode going up against a 3-6 Cardinals squad. If the team were to lose, it would be in last place in the division heading into Week 11.
- Matthew Stafford stats (2022): 68% completion, 1,928 yards, 8 TD, 8 INT, 84.9 QB rating
As you can see, the 2022 season has been a major struggle for Stafford. In fact, the former No. 1 pick is on pace to put up his worst statistical performance since his rookie season with the Detroit Lions all the way back in 2009.
Even then, Stafford gives Los Angeles a much better chance to come out on top than lesser quarterbacks on the Rams’ roster in that of John Wolford and Bryce Perkins. Backup QB has been an issue with Los Angeles.
It just has not come into play yet with Matthew Stafford starting all 25 games since being acquired in a blockbuster trade with Detroit back in the spring of 2021. That could soon change.