Matthew Stafford is as tough as they come at quarterback, but not even he could’ve played through the thumb injury he suffered against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The question now is how serious the issue is, and how long it might keep the Rams quarterback out.
While injuries can’t be avoided, it’s hard not to wonder if the Rams put Stafford at unnecessary risk on Sunday. Sean McVay said after the game that Stafford’s injury happened on the second two-point attempt, which is when he caught a pass from Tutu Atwell and dove into the end zone.
“It was kind of when he dove in that that occurred. He banged it on the two-point attempt,” McVay said. “It looked like he did when he was finishing a throw. That wasn’t the injury that limited him. You saw, he takes us right down the field on the opening drive of the second half. Looked like the stud that we know and love. Did a great job. Unfortunately, it looked like that injury occurred that kept him out for the rest of the game, it did occur when he ended up catching the two-point attempt from Tutu.”
No one is refuting that Stafford got hurt on the catch. In the video below, you can briefly see him reach for his right hand after getting up, looking down at his thumb as he jogged off the field. Something wasn’t right.
Matthew Stafford. Athlete.
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However, anyone watching the game knows that wasn’t the first time Stafford was shaken up over the course of the afternoon. He was in visible pain after the Rams’ first two-point try, which came just before halftime.
As he was getting tackled, he flung the ball to the sideline and smacked it on a Cowboys player’s helmet. The entire way to the sideline, he held his thumb in his towel, clearly uncomfortable and hurting.
If Stafford’s thumb wasn’t right after that first-half hit, why on earth did the Rams call a trick play that required him to catch a pass? That’s where it’s fair to question McVay’s play calling, especially considering the Rams were trailing by 18 points after their second touchdown. Not an insurmountable deficit, but also not one that would’ve been easy to overcome.
Despite McVay’s assessment of when the injury actually occurred, Brett Rypien knew Stafford originally hurt his thumb before halftime.
“It was right after the first drive of the second half,” Rypien said of when he was told he was entering the game. “Matthew came off the field and kind of reaggravated the thumb there, so just had a conversation with (Zac Robinson). He didn’t ask if I was going, he said I was going.”
The key word? “Reaggravated.” That indicates Stafford first hurt his thumb on the initial two-point try before halftime, and then made it worse on the second attempt when he caught the pass from Atwell.
Obviously, Stafford’s thumb couldn’t have been that bad after hitting it on the helmet because he started the second half. But could he have finished the game if not for reinjuring it on the two-point reception? Probably. Hindsight is 20-20, but having your receiver catch a pass when his thumb is already hurt isn’t the smartest decision.
Hopefully the injury isn’t one that will keep Stafford out an extended period of time because if he’s sidelined for a while, the Rams will quickly fall further out of playoff contention.
