Things continue to go from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Rams as they suffered another loss in Week 11, this time at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.
At 3-7, the Rams’ playoff hopes are all but dead which means the focus now shifts towards key players that are injured and trying to get them healthy
The injuries continued to pile up in the loss to the Saints as quarterback Matthew Stafford was forced to leave in the third quarter with a potential concussion.
Stafford was placed in the concussion protocol a couple of weeks ago and was forced to miss last week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. He cleared protocol this past week in time to return against the Saints although he took number of hits throughout the course of the game before eventually being removed.
After undergoing further testing and evaluation, it appears they have still yet to determine if Stafford is back in the protocol, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
Rams QB Matthew Stafford is still being evaluated for potential entry into the concussion protocol, per head coach Sean McVay. Stafford is not in it yet.
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) November 21, 2022
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk though, Stafford is indeed going into the protocol:
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Stafford is back in the concussion protocol.
It took more than a day for it to happen. And it’s possible that the Rams and/or the relevant doctors finally got pressured by the league and/or the union to make the call. Regardless, Stafford is now back in the protocol.
It’s unclear what took so long to determine if Stafford has a concussion or not but him winding up in the protocol means the Rams will likely be extra cautious before allowing him to return.
With the season lost at this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Stafford shut down for the year in order to get fully healthy. The Rams gave Stafford a huge contract extension before the season to be their quarterback for years to come so they want to ensure this doesn’t become a long-term issue.
In his absence, the Rams will likely go with third-stringer Bryce Perkins and backup John Wolford is also banged up.
L.A. has its toughest test ahead against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, which certainly won’t be easy without likely both Stafford and Cooper Kupp.
