During the opening drive of the second half of the 2023 Los Angeles Rams/Dallas Cowboys Week 8 game, the Rams attempted a two-point conversion. The play was a jet sweep to Puka Nacua, turned reverse to Tutu Atwell, who pulled up and heaved a pass to Matthew Stafford.
The result was two points. But it was also Stafford’s last play of the game. He had injured his thumb and backup quarterback Brett Rypien finished the losing effort. And after a physical examination, Stafford thought it might even be the last play of his season, or maybe even his career.
Matthew Stafford: “The physical examination was not pretty, It was a couple scary moments”
“I was on the sideline thinking [it was a] pretty good chance it was [career-ending],” Stafford told Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer. “Physical examination was not pretty. I’d just fought back from something else, and having to deal with that now is tough.”
“Halfway through the season in the Dallas game,” “I thought I was done for my season, maybe career, depending on what it was going to look like under imaging.
The quarterback references ‘something else,’ alluding to a series of physical setbacks suffered in 2022 including a concussion, a nagging elbow issue, and a back injury that ultimately sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Ultimately, once the team was able to perform more in-depth medical examinations on the then 35-year-old was he able to rest easy that the thumb injury wouldn’t end his season or career.
“Lucky enough that it was mild enough to where I could splint it for six games after that and work my way through it. It was a couple scary moments.”
Matthew Stafford Leads The Los Angeles Rams To The Playoffs With A Splinted Throwing Hand
Stafford missed the subsequent game against the Green Bay Packers. He benefitted from an extra week of rest via the Rams Bye Week and was back in the pocket against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. The Rams won five of the six games that Stafford played with a splint on his throwing hand. Eventually, he led them to the playoffs.
In that stretch, Stafford completed 69 percent of his passes and was third in the league in EPA per play. He completed just 63 percent of his passes in all of 2023. Just two of his 11 interceptions came in those games.
After dealing with limiting injuries, Stafford now has achieved a level of health that he finds refreshing.
“Being healthy is a great thing. When your brain tells your body to do something, and it does, it’s great. When it can’t, because of one thing or another, that’s tough. Getting out there and playing and doing all that kind of stuff, [and] finally feeling good again.”
