Dec 4, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA;  Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) walks on the field prior a game against the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Rams QB Matthew Stafford has spinal contusion, ‘good chance’ season over

A spinal contusion previously undisclosed will likely end the season for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles coach Sean McVay said Sunday night.

Stafford, who cleared concussion protocol earlier this week, landed on injured reserve and was ruled out for the NFC West game with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Asked Sunday night if Stafford was done for the season, McVay said there was a “good chance.”

He has missed three of the past four games.

At this point, it would make little sense for Stafford — who the Rams signed to a four-year, $160-million contract through 2026 — to return to the lineup for the final two games of this season.

Stafford suffered a neck injury in Week 11 against the New Orleans Saints after clearing protocol from a previous concussion.

Stafford, 34, has passed for 2,087 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. He has thrown for 52,082 yards and 333 touchdowns in 191 games in his 14-year career with the Detroit Lions (2009-20) and Rams.

John Wolford will get the start against the Seahawks on Sunday after Bryce Perkins started under center last weekend in a 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

–Field Level Media

Nov 20, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is grabbed by New Orleans Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss (55) in the second quarter at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Rams QB Matthew Stafford clears concussion protocol, will sit vs. Seahawks

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has cleared concussion protocol but will sit out Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, coach Sean McVay said on Friday.

It will be the second consecutive game and third this season that Stafford misses.

John Wolford will start at quarterback against Seattle and Bryce Perkins will be the backup.

McVay said Stafford cleared the protocol on Friday, but the team is still looking for further information about the neck injury Stafford sustained in Week 11 against the New Orleans Saints.

Stafford, 34, played against the Saints after clearing protocol from a previous concussion.

McVay indicated it is possible Los Angeles will shut Stafford down for the remainder of the season.

“I think there’s so many layers to (that decision),” McVay said. “There’s so much thought and dialogue that goes into it, but I think first and foremost it’s got to get cleared from the medical experts. … I’m not the expert in that arena, but if there’s any sort of sense of, this is something that it’ll be better served in the long term or it’s going to be a few more weeks, things like that, I think that’ll end up kind of taking care of itself.”

Due to Stafford’s high competitive level, McVay said the Rams may have to protect last season’s Super Bowl winning quarterback from himself.

“If there’s any inkling that he can play, this guy’s going to want to play,” McVay said. “Now (there is a) possibility that we say, ‘based on what we’re gathering, the doctors, those types of things, the smart thing is to not play you.’ And he could be upset with me, but I think he knows that I have his best interest and we have his best interest. And if that’s the case, then that’s definitely a possibility.

“But he’s going to want to play. He’s going to want to do everything in his power to be out there and compete with his teammates and do the things that’s made Matthew Stafford, Matthew Stafford.”

Stafford has passed for 2,087 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.

Wolford missed last weekend’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a neck injury. Perkins made the start and completed 13 of 23 passes for 100 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Wolford started in Week 10 during a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and completed 24 of 36 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Rams (3-8), who have lost five straight games, will also be without star defensive tackle Aaron Donald (ankle). It marks the first time Donald will miss a game due to injury in his nine-year career.

–Field Level Media

Nov 13, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) tries to slip past Arizona Cardinals guard Lecitus Smith (54) to get to quarterback Colt McCoy (not pictured) during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Rams DT Aaron Donald, QB Matthew Stafford out Week 13

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald will not play Sunday due to a high-ankle sprain that could lead to Los Angeles shutting him down for the rest of the season.

Donald, 31, has never missed an NFL game due to injury, meaning the seven-time All-Pro would be sitting for the first time Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Donald missed two games in 2017 due to a contract holdout.

“That’s what makes Aaron, Aaron,” McVay said. “He’s unbelievable. I mean to be able to play through that, the toughness, everything that he embodies is what you love about Aaron.”

Donald was injured in the first quarter last week but remained in the game, a 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

With a five-game losing streak and a 3-8 overall record, Los Angeles has only one win since Sept. 25. A rash of injuries isn’t helping the Rams’ mood.

Wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson II are on injured reserve, and quarterback Matthew Stafford (concussion) played only two of the team’s four games in November.

McVay said Wednesday it was “safe to say” Stafford, 34, would miss Week 13.

–Field Level Media

Nov 6, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) celebrates after a catch and run against the Tennessee Titans during overtime of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) returning vs. Rams

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has exited concussion protocol and will return from a one-game absence on Sunday when the Chiefs host the Los Angeles Rams.

Smith-Schuster was a full participant in practice all week and was not given a game designation on the Chiefs’ injury report Friday.

The 26-year-old sustained the concussion during the Chiefs’ Week 10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He missed last week’s 30-27 primetime win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

In his first season with the Chiefs, Smith-Schuster is second on the team in receptions (46) and receiving yards (615) while catching two touchdowns. He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Fellow Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney (hamstring) was ruled out for the Rams game. Toney, a midseason acquisition from the New York Giants, suffered the injury against the Chargers last week. Guard Joe Thuney (ankle), safety Juan Thornhill (calf) and cornerback Chris Lammons (concussion) were listed as questionable.

The Rams will be without center Brian Allen (thumb), linebacker Travin Howard (hip) and defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson (knee). Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford (concussion, neck) was ruled out Wednesday.

Wide receiver Allen Robinson (ankle), tight end Tyler Higbee (knee), center Matt Skura (knee) and tackle Ty Nsekhe (ankle) are questionable.

–Field Level Media

Nov 6, 2022; Phoenix, Ariz., United States;  Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) looks towards the scoreboard during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium.

Nfl Cardinals Vs Seahawks Seattle Seahawks At Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, Rams’ Matthew Stafford inactive

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford are both inactive for Sunday’s NFC West clash.

Murray, who has a hamstring injury, will be replaced by journeyman Colt McCoy for the visiting Cardinals (3-6).

Murray was a limited participant in practice Thursday and Friday and was said to be a game-time decision.

Murray, 25, has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 2,168 yards, with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He’s also rushed for 359 yards and two scores.

Stafford is in the concussion protocol and John Wolford will start for the host Rams (3-5).

Stafford returned to practice in a limited capacity on Friday and was considered questionable.

Stafford, 34, has thrown for 1,928 yards and eight touchdowns against eight interceptions this season. He has been sacked 28 times, third most in the NFL entering Week 10.

–Field Level Media

Nov 6, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA;  Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is sacked by Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (56) in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Rams QB Matthew Stafford ‘making progress’ but questionable

Head coach Sean McVay said the Rams will go up to 90 minutes before kickoff, if necessary, to determine whether quarterback Matthew Stafford plays Sunday.

Stafford is “going through that protocol” for a concussion and was limited at practice Thursday and Friday.

“Realistically, he’s listed as questionable. So he’s making good progress and that’s where we’re at with that,” McVay said.

No matter who starts for the Rams, McVay said the team would be starting its ninth different offensive line combination in Week 10.

“It has been out of the norm relative to how our guys have typically protected the quarterback. It’s been challenging without a doubt,” he said.

Earlier in the week, the medical staff noted something wasn’t quite right with Stafford after last week’s 16-13 loss at Tampa.

“You obviously have the medical expertise where if they cleared him, but the family and people aren’t comfortable … with based on the information and how he’s feeling, he’s not going to be playing,” McVay said. “The main thing is, you just want to leave the door open if there’s that opportunity to play (a game) with our franchise quarterback who’s an absolute stud.”

Stafford played the entire game against the Buccaneers, going 13 of 27 for 165 yards and a touchdown.

John Wolford is the primary backup to Stafford on the depth chart. Bryce Perkins is also on the 53-man roster. Wolford has appeared in four games over three seasons for the Rams, going 1-0 as a starter. He’s thrown 42 career regular-season passes in the NFL and started a 2020 playoff game before departing early with a head injury.

Stafford has thrown for 1,928 yards and eight touchdowns against eight interceptions this season. He has been sacked 28 times, third most in the NFL, as the team has been forced to alter the look of the offensive line.

The Rams (3-5) host division rival Arizona (3-6) this Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Sep 18, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws under pressure from Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Ta'Quon Graham (95) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Rams hold off Falcons for 31-27 victory

Matthew Stafford threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns and the Los Angeles Rams withstood a late rally by the Atlanta Falcons for a 31-27 victory on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.

Cooper Kupp had 11 receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns for the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Rams (1-1) led 28-3 with less than four minutes left in the third quarter before the Falcons later scored 22 points in span of 13:23 to pull to within 31-25 after Lorenzo Carter returned a blocked punt 26 yards for a touchdown with 4:57 left in the game.

The Falcons (0-2) got the ball back after Darren Hall forced and recovered Cooper Kupp’s fumble on the Rams’ 37-yard line with 3:22 remaining. But Jalen Ramsey intercepted Marcus Mariota in the end zone with just over a minute remaining.

The Rams took an intentional safety with six seconds left and punted the ball out of bounds, giving the Falcons the ball at the 50-yard line.

However, Mariota was sacked and fumbled, with Aaron Donald making the recovery as time expired.

Stafford 27-for-36 passing with two interceptions, while Tyler Higbee recorded seven catches for 71 yards and Allen Robinson finished with four catches for 53 yards and a score.

Marcus Mariota went 17-for-26 passing for 196 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Falcons.

Cordarrelle Patterson ran for 41 yards on 10 carries, while rookie first-round pick Drake London had eight receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.

After taking a 7-0 lead on Stafford’s 1-yard touchdown toss to Robinson with 1:44 left in the first quarter, the Rams scored two touchdowns in the second quarter.

Darrell Henderson extended the lead to 14-0 with an 8-yard run before Younghoe Koo’s 26-yard field goal cut the lead to 14-3 with 2:44 left in the half. The Rams, however, pushed the advantage to 21-3 with 14 seconds left on Stafford’s 3-yard toss to Kupp.

The Rams increased their lead to 25 when Stafford capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half with a 10-yard touchdown strike to Kupp with 9:22 left in the third quarter.

Mariota’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Drake made it 28-10 with 3:20 left in the third quarter before Matt Gay’s 20-yard field goal extended the Rams’ lead to 31-10 with 12:13 left in the game.

Mariota pulled the Falcons to within 31-17 with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus with 8:14.

Troy Andersen blocked Riley Dixon’s punt, with Carter returning it for a touchdown to make it 31-25 after Mariota hit London for the two-point conversion with 4:57 left.

–Field Level Media

Jul 31, 2022; Irvine, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during training camp at UC Irvine. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Elbow pain leads to lighter load for Rams QB Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford played into February for the first time in his career for the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams and the right-hander’s elbow could be showing signs of wear.

Head coach Sean McVay said Los Angeles is scaling back Stafford’s training camp workload and could take further precautions if pain persists in the elbow on the 34-year-old’s throwing arm.

“We’d lessened Matthew’s workload,” McVay said on Monday. “Really when we look at it, we’ve got five weeks until Sept. 8. He’s still feeling a little bit of pain, he could push through it. You guys have been out here, he’s been throwing and competing in team settings. We felt like the smart thing was let’s really just take it a week at a time. He ended up getting about 40 to 50 throws in individual. We didn’t take part in the team activities and that’s really more a result of he’s got so much experience.”

The Rams had a scheduled day off Tuesday and might use the time to construct more detailed plans of Stafford’s summer workload.

Los Angeles is the first NFL team to play a regular-season game, hosting the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 8, and Stafford isn’t expected to suit up in the preseason.

Stafford required an injection in the elbow during the offseason, but said he felt good to open training camp and embraced the team plan for a “pitch count.” Throughout his career, Stafford has played through various injuries, including toe and back issues last season.

“We could certainly push and he could really grind through this, but that’s not the goal with somebody like him,” said McVay. “It’s not something that we’re concerned about. We just want to be really smart with somebody that is as important as our quarterback is and as experienced as he is to be able to put together a plan that we feel like is in his best interest and in our team’s best interest.”

–Field Level Media

May 23, 2022; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) reacts during organized team activities at California Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Stafford not throwing, Aaron Donald absent from Rams’ OTA

Quarterback Matthew Stafford is still not throwing and defensive tackle Aaron Donald was a no-show due to his contract situation when the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams began voluntary organized team activities on Monday.

Stafford received an anti-inflammatory shot in his right elbow shortly after the Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Stafford was unsure if he would throw later in the offseason, while Rams coach Sean McVay speculated Stafford wouldn’t throw until close to training camp.

Donald, who turned 31 on Monday, is looking for a rich contract extension after reaching the Pro Bowl in all eight of his seasons, as well as being a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Donald has three seasons remaining on a six-year, $135 million deal. He is set to receive $37.25 million in base salary over the next three seasons.

McVay said “dialogue’s good” when asked about negotiations with Donald. McVay said he called to wish Donald a happy birthday.

–Field Level Media

Feb 16, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams celebrate during the championship victory parade. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Rams, Staffords to pay medical bills of injured photographer

A photographer who fell off a stage and broke her spine during the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl celebration on Wednesday will have her medical expenses paid for and cameras replaced by the team, quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly.

Freelance photographer Kelly Smiley confirmed the back injury in her retweet of a video of the incident.

In the video, Matthew Stafford sees Smiley fall and turns and walks away while drinking from a water bottle. Kelly Stafford rushes towards the edge of the stage to look down toward Smiley in a bid to help.

Matthew Stafford drew criticism on social media for his reaction.

“We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday’s incident and we are sorry for what happened,” the Rams and the Staffords said in a joint statement. “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”

A GoFundMe account set up on Smiley’s behalf had received more than $45,000 in donations as of early Thursday evening.

Smiley’s website said she is a photographer for NFL and NHL games in the Los Angeles area. She is a Long Beach native and a 2018 graduate of San Diego State.

–Field Level Media