The Los Angeles Rams bounced back in a big way in Week 5, traveling to take on the division rival Seattle Seahawks on a short week and coming away with a 26-17 victory to improve to 4-1.
While it was a big win, the Rams did not look sharp from the start, particularly quarterback Matthew Stafford. L.A. only scored three points in the first half with Stafford missing a few easy throws, including one interception in the red zone that was inexcusable.
Stafford settled in and played a great second half to finish 25-of-37 for 365 yards and a touchdown, finding Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp all night long.
It turns out there was a reason for Stafford’s first-half struggles as he was seen getting his finger taped up on the sidelines. Stafford revealed after the game that he actually dislocated his finger in the first half, via Cameron DaSilva of USA Today:
“It popped out and I don’t really know how, to be honest with you,” he said. “I just looked down at it and it was on the left a little bit, threw it back in. Our guys did a great job giving me a little tape. Was able to just keep it warm the rest of the day and keep playing.
Stafford added though that he didn’t feel his injured finger affected him too much in the second half:
“Not too much,” he said. “Felt pretty good. Felt like it was functioning enough. A little swollen but kept this thing on it to keep the swelling down and we just went out and played.”
The good news for Stafford and the Rams is they now have 10 days before their next game, which should give him some time for the finger to heal before taking the field again.
Stafford is one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league so there’s no question he’ll play through the injury. Fingers are dangerous for quarterbacks as getting a grip on the football can obviously be challenging, so hopefully the time off is enough for him to get back to 100%.
