Week 8 was an embarrassment for the Los Angeles Rams as they were blown out by the Dallas Cowboys and fell to 3-5 during the 2023 season.
It was a forgettable performance for the Rams who looked completely outclassed in the first half and fell into a 33-9 hole at halftime. Los Angeles showed some signs of life in the third quarter but were unable to string together enough scoring drives to get themselves back into the game.
Matthew Stafford struggled throwing the football against Dallas as he managed to complete just 13 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. Stafford threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, summing up the afternoon he had.
However, Stafford was unable to finish the game as he exited with a thumb injury and Sean McVay announced that it’s a sprain and he’ll be day-to-day.
“Yeah, he has a UCL sprain of his right thumb and he will be day-to-day.”
Stafford appeared to initially hurt his thumb after hitting it on a player’s helmet, but was able to remain in the game. However, the quarterback landed on it after converting on a two-point conversion and was forced to leave.
In his place, Brett Rypien stepped in for the remainder of the second half as the result was already decided by the end of the quarter. Los Angeles is slated to play the Green Bay Packers on the road in Week 9 and if Stafford is unable to go, then Rypien figures to get the start although McVay added that they will likely bring in another quarterback.
“Yeah, I think we’re taking it a day at a time. We definitely have to get some contingency plans in order. We’ve obviously got (QB) Brett Rypien on the roster and there’s some other possibilities that we will explore and that we’re kind of in the midst of working through once I get off with you guys today.”
Stafford’s dealt with various injuries throughout his career, so fortunately it doesn’t seem like the thumb injury is very serious. However, because the sprain is on his throwing hand it could lead to him missing the game against the Packers.
Hopefully Stafford is able to go on Sunday because Los Angeles still has an outside shot of making the playoffs. It’s tough hole to dig themselves out of, but this group has been more competitive than most expected.
Ultimately though, the next few days will be telling as far as how he recovers and if he is healthy enough to play.
“Yeah, I think it’s exclusively a result of how quickly that thumb turns over,” McVay said. “There’s obviously some swelling and some bruising. It’s a significant part of being able to throw the football. This is an injury that he’s previously had, so there was some scar tissue, so there’s a lot of things to it. It’s really about let’s see what happens over the next 24 to 48 hours in regard to just all of those things that I had kind of previously mentioned. I think we’d be silly to not try to get our ducks in a row if he’s not able to go and figure out alright, with Brett what does that look like in addition to adding somebody to that quarterback room? That’s something that we’ve talked about even before this injury, but it seems especially pertinent this week given the uncertainty of Matthew’s status.”
Sean McVay hopeful Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers can be activated as soon as eligible
The offense has suffered several injuries through eight weeks of the season, especially the backfield as Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers are both on injured reserve.
The two got hurt in the same game, but McVay is hopeful that both of them can be activated as soon as they’re eligible.
