The Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is unlikely to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday as he battles with a right thumb injury. Still, one source claimed that the Rams are willing to wait to see if there is any change to his status before ruling him out completely.

Officially listed as questionable, Stafford was injured during his team’s 43-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. While one source mentioned earlier in the week that it “would have been unthinkable” for him to play on Sunday due to his ulnar collateral ligament sprain, he may end up being rested given that he will have two weeks to recover before the Rams’ next game due to a bye next week.

Should Stafford be rested, Brett Rypien would be expected to replace him with Dresser Winn as backup. Star rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, who is also listed as questionable, is expected to play.

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The reigning Super Bowl champions Los Angeles Rams are officially punting on the 2022 NFL season. The team announced on Saturday that their starting quarterback Matthew Stafford had been placed on Injured Reserve. This probably means that Stafford won’t play again this year, considering he will only be eligible to return in Week 17.

Stafford has been out since suffering a neck injury against the New Orleans Saints in Week 11. He was also in the concussion protocol twice, something that probably influenced the Rams’ decision to put him on IR.

After leading the Rams to a championship last year, Stafford significantly struggled in 2022 despite having a career-high 68.0 completion percentage. In 10 games of action, the 34-year-old Pro Bowler had 2,087 passing yards while only throwing for 10 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions.

With Stafford out, the Rams have given chances to John Wolford and Bryce Perkins to start under center in the past two weeks. Wolford had 212 passing yards, one TD, and one interception in a 17-27 loss to Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, while Perkins threw for 100 yards, one TD, and two picks in Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Los Angeles Rams had a rough campaign in 2022, and things will probably be even worse for them down the stretch before becoming better. They are currently last in the NFC west with a 3-8 record.

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Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been cleared to play in the game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday after being cleared of concussion protocol. Following his absence during the Rams’ 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, Stafford has been on the mend, becoming a full participant in the teams’ training all week.

Stafford entered concussion protocol on November 8 after the Rams’ Week 9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccanneers after the team’s medical staff determined that this was the “appropriate” action following an examination of the player. After the game, coach Sean McVay revealed that he did not see any indication during the game that Stafford had been dealing with concussion symptoms.

Although Stafford is listed as being available for Sunday’s game, McVay has confirmed that quarterback Bryce Perkins may back up Stafford against the Saints should the need arise. Fellow quarterback John Wolford, who played in Stafford’s place against the Cardinals last week, has been listed on the team’s injury report after suffering a neck injury.

Prior to entering concussion protocol, Stafford had completed 68.4% of his passes for 1,928 yards this season along with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

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The Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford received an injection in his injured right elbow during the offseason, the team confirmed. According to Rams’ head coach Sean McVay, Stafford has been experiencing pain that is uncommon for a quarterback, going on to describe his pain as something that a pitcher is more likely to incur.

Still recovering from his elbow injury from last season, Stafford did not participate in any throwing drills during the Rams’ spring workouts. While he did begin to throw during individual and 7-on-7 drills during training camp on Thursday, he is still abstaining from team reps out of fear of aggravating his injury.

McVay believes that a gradual reintegration into the team is best for Stafford, whereby the player steers clear of throwing too much at the start of his return.

“Could he do it? Yes. Is that the best thing? We didn’t think so. And I think I’ve got a responsibility to try to make decisions that are in the best alignment using medical experts and talking with Matthew,” McVay explained. Aside from Stafford’s elbow injury, McVay revealed that he believed that the 34-year-old player “looked really good” during training on Thursday.

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The Los Angeles Rams’ offseason trade for Matthew Stafford seems to be paying off. Stafford came in strong on Sunday night and led the Rams to a 30-27 win over reigning Super Bowl champs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with two passing touchdowns and one rushing TD. His 366 passing yards were the third-most in a single playoff game in the franchise’s history.

While the night finished victorious for the Rams and Stafford, it almost went the other way. Holding a 27-3 lead midway through the third quarter, the LA team became reckless and allowed Tom Brady to start one of his signature comebacks.

After a sluggish first part of the contest, Brady started connecting with his receivers, and the Bucs went on to score 24 unanswered points to tie the game, including three touchdowns and a field goal. Tampa Bay’s defense also played a crucial role, forcing three fumbles, including one in the red zone.

Following this scoring rampage by the Bucs, the Rams found themselves with the ball and 42 seconds to work with at their own 25 yards. However, this proved to be more than enough for Stafford, who arrived in LA from Detroit Lions in exchange for a package that included former first overall pick Jared Goff and two future first-rounders.

On the second play of the drive, Stafford found wideout Cooper Kupp for a 20-yard gain. The two connected once again on the next play, this time for a 44-yard gain. This set up a 30-yard field goal attempt that kicker Matt Gay converted as the time was running out to give his team a major win.

“It felt like that ball hung up for about 12 seconds,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay after the game. “But those guys did a great job. I thought Matthew Stafford was unbelievable throughout the whole day. Just his poise, his command, his demeanor, his decision-making.”

The Rams will now play the San Francisco 49ers, who upset the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, in the NFC Championship game next Sunday. The AFC Championship game will see the Super Bowl favorites Kansas City Chiefs playing the Cincinnati Bengals.

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The season might not be over for the San Francisco 49ers. Despite opening 2021 with a 3-5 record, the 49ers kept their playoffs hopes alive by beating the heavily-favored Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

The 49ers’ defense came up big to start the game, intercepting Rams star quarterback Matthew Stafford. Facing 2nd&8 on his own half, Stafford threw a bomb to newly-acquired wideout Odell Beckham Jr., but the pass was well off and allowed San Francisco’s safety Jimmie Ward to come up with a pick.

The interception set up an impressive drive by the 49ers offense that included 18 plays, and lasted more than 11 minutes, covered 93 yards, and culminated with QB Jimmy Garoppolo finding tight end George Kittle in the endzone.

Shortly after, Ward picked off Stafford once again, but this time he managed to go all the way to the end and make it 14-0 for San Francisco.

The Rams finally managed to put some points on the board early in the second quarter after Stafford connected with tight end Tyler Higbee on a 10-yard TD pass.

Everyone expected the Rams to pick themselves up after this, but the 49ers had other ideas and immediately responded with Deebo Samuel’s rushing touchdown before the end of the half.

The second half saw more of the same. The LA team struggled to get into the rhythm on both defense and offense while San Francisco continued to add to their lead with Robbie Gould’s 50-yarder and Samuel’s second TD of the game.

The Rams did manage to get on the board once more after Matt Gay made a 37-yarder late in the fourth to make it 10-31.

The win improved San Francisco to a 4-5 record, but they still have a long way to go if they want to make it to the postseason. The Rams, on the other hand, are 7-3 and sit one game behind the Arizona Cardinals (8-2) in NFC West.

The post 49ers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive With Win Over Rams appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Rams’ decision to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford in March looks better with each passing game. Stafford stepped once again for the Rams on Sunday, leading them to an impressive 34-24 win over the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stafford had a big night that saw him complete 27 passes out of 38 attempted and throwing for 343 yards and four touchdowns. This included a 75-yards TD pass to veteran wideout DeSean Jackson early in the second half.

Stafford’s impressive performance even earned praise from the opposing head coach Bruce Arians, who called him “a special player” after the game.

“We’re up in his face one time; he finds a guy wide open down the field and gets it to him. Other guys, they see him, but they can’t get it to ’em. He gets it to them, so he’s a special player,” Arians told reporters.

In the first three games in the Rams uniform, Stafford has now completed 70.2 percent of his passes while throwing for 942 yards and nine touchdowns. He only has one interception while the Rams remain undefeated with him under center.

The Bucs’ quarterback Tom Brady also had a huge night, throwing 55 times on a 74.5 completion percentage. He finished the night with 432 passing yards and one touchdown, but this still wasn’t enough for Tampa Bay to continue their winning streak.

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The Los Angeles Rams will enter the 2021 NFL season with a new starting quarterback. According to multiple reports, the Rams made a deal with the Detroit Lions to acquire Pro Bowl signal-caller Matthew Stafford.

The trade will see the Rams getting Stafford while sending quarterback Jared Goff and draft picks to Detroit. Reportedly, the Lions will get first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 alongside a third-rounder in 2021.

The teams worked out the trade details over the weekend, but the agreement can’t be made official until March 17th, when the new league year starts.

Stafford and the Lions previously agreed to go their separate ways after another disappointing season in 2020. The team made changes in the front office and at the head coaching position recently and is expected to go down a complete rebuild in the recent future. The 32-year-old QB, on the other hand, wanted to go someplace where he can play meaningful football and challenge for a Super Bowl.

Sources close to the Lions organization say that there were “seven or eight teams” interested in Matthew Stafford, but the player wanted to go to Los Angeles. This came to be when the Rams decided Stafford could be the missing piece and decided to increase their offer.

The trade immediately makes the Rams one of the favorites in the NFC. While he never managed to win a playoff game with the Lions, Stafford is considered one of the most talented QBs in the NFL in recent decades.

During his time in Detroit, he broke almost every Lions passing record while posting eight seasons with 4,000+ yards. In total, he started 165 games and threw for 45,109 and 282 passing touchdowns.

The Rams seemed set on Jared Goff as the quarterback of their future, especially after giving him a four-year, $134 million extension in 2019. But Goff’s inconsistency and turnover problems in the past two years started bothering head coach Sean McVay.

Having arguably the best defense in the league at this moment, the Rams knew they needed to do something to get more consistency and production on the offensive end. If Stafford manages to bring this, they may be back in the Super Bowl in no time.

The post Rams Acquire Lions QB Matthew Stafford in a Blockbuster Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a partial ligament tear in the thumb of his throwing hand in the Lions 30-27 win over the Washington Football Team on Sunday.

However, the coaching staff does not expect him to miss any time. The team announced that they will follow Stafford’s progress over the course of the week to see how he is throwing the ball before a final decision is made.

Stafford is known for his toughness and has played through injuries many times in his career, which is why most expect that he is going to start in the Lions’ next game against the Carolina Panthers.

X-rays were performed on Stafford’s hand and they confirmed that there were no breaks or fractures found.

Stafford missed significant time last season with a non-displaced fracture in his spine, but has been healthy and playing well this season.

If Stafford can’t go, the Lions will most likely turn to backup Chase Daniel.

The Lions currently have a 4-5 and are in last place in the NFC North, but are still in the divisional race. The second-place Chicago Bears are 5-5 while the Green Bay Packers lead the division with a 7-2 record.

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Known for his late fourth-quarter heroics, Detroit Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford is the last person in the league you want to turn over the ball to when the game is on the line. But Atlanta Falcons did it regardless on Sunday night and now have a 23-22 defeat to show for.

Entering the final two minutes of the contest against the Lions, Falcons looked in good shape to win the game and feel better about their disappointing season. Trailing two points, Atlanta had first-and-goal at Detroit’s 10-yard line. They needed to run down the clock and kick a near-goal field goal to take it all home.

But things took a bad turn for the Falcons quickly.

With 1:12 left in the contest, running back Todd Gurley received a hand-off and was offered a clear path to the end zone by Detroit Lions D-line. Gurley knew he was baited and attempted to stop himself short of the goal line. However, the momentum made him break the plain, and he ended up scoring the touchdown Atlanta didn’t want.

With 1:04 on the clock, Stafford received the ball and went to work. Not having the convenience of a single timeout, the 32-year-old marched his offense 75 yards down the field and found T.J. Hockenson in the endzone with no time left on the clock to add another big comeback to his resume.

Matthew Stafford now has 30 fourth-quarter comebacks, which is the eighth-most in the history of the league.

“We were up against the clock as good as you could be, and guys made plays,” said Stafford after the game. “I love doing that. That’s my favorite part about playing the game. I love this game, I love competing, and there’s no more competitive, pressure-packed situation than whatever it was, (second)-and-goal from the (11)-yard line with no time left. I mean, that’s what you live for as a quarterback.”

With this win, Lions managed to keep themselves in playoff contention with a 3-3 record. Falcons, on the other hand, are now 1-6.

The post Lions’ Beat Falcons with a Last-Second TD Pass by Matthew Stafford appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is unlikely to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday as he battles with a right thumb injury. Still, one source claimed that the Rams are willing to wait to see if there is any change to his status before ruling him out completely.

Officially listed as questionable, Stafford was injured during his team’s 43-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. While one source mentioned earlier in the week that it “would have been unthinkable” for him to play on Sunday due to his ulnar collateral ligament sprain, he may end up being rested given that he will have two weeks to recover before the Rams’ next game due to a bye next week.

Should Stafford be rested, Brett Rypien would be expected to replace him with Dresser Winn as backup. Star rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, who is also listed as questionable, is expected to play.

The post Rams Quarterback Stafford Unlikely to Play vs Packers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The reigning Super Bowl champions Los Angeles Rams are officially punting on the 2022 NFL season. The team announced on Saturday that their starting quarterback Matthew Stafford had been placed on Injured Reserve. This probably means that Stafford won’t play again this year, considering he will only be eligible to return in Week 17.

Stafford has been out since suffering a neck injury against the New Orleans Saints in Week 11. He was also in the concussion protocol twice, something that probably influenced the Rams’ decision to put him on IR.

After leading the Rams to a championship last year, Stafford significantly struggled in 2022 despite having a career-high 68.0 completion percentage. In 10 games of action, the 34-year-old Pro Bowler had 2,087 passing yards while only throwing for 10 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions.

With Stafford out, the Rams have given chances to John Wolford and Bryce Perkins to start under center in the past two weeks. Wolford had 212 passing yards, one TD, and one interception in a 17-27 loss to Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, while Perkins threw for 100 yards, one TD, and two picks in Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Los Angeles Rams had a rough campaign in 2022, and things will probably be even worse for them down the stretch before becoming better. They are currently last in the NFC west with a 3-8 record.

The post Rams Place QB Matthew Stafford on IR appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been cleared to play in the game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday after being cleared of concussion protocol. Following his absence during the Rams’ 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, Stafford has been on the mend, becoming a full participant in the teams’ training all week.

Stafford entered concussion protocol on November 8 after the Rams’ Week 9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccanneers after the team’s medical staff determined that this was the “appropriate” action following an examination of the player. After the game, coach Sean McVay revealed that he did not see any indication during the game that Stafford had been dealing with concussion symptoms.

Although Stafford is listed as being available for Sunday’s game, McVay has confirmed that quarterback Bryce Perkins may back up Stafford against the Saints should the need arise. Fellow quarterback John Wolford, who played in Stafford’s place against the Cardinals last week, has been listed on the team’s injury report after suffering a neck injury.

Prior to entering concussion protocol, Stafford had completed 68.4% of his passes for 1,928 yards this season along with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The post Rams’ Matthew Stafford Cleared to Play Following Concussion Protocol appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford received an injection in his injured right elbow during the offseason, the team confirmed. According to Rams’ head coach Sean McVay, Stafford has been experiencing pain that is uncommon for a quarterback, going on to describe his pain as something that a pitcher is more likely to incur.

Still recovering from his elbow injury from last season, Stafford did not participate in any throwing drills during the Rams’ spring workouts. While he did begin to throw during individual and 7-on-7 drills during training camp on Thursday, he is still abstaining from team reps out of fear of aggravating his injury.

McVay believes that a gradual reintegration into the team is best for Stafford, whereby the player steers clear of throwing too much at the start of his return.

“Could he do it? Yes. Is that the best thing? We didn’t think so. And I think I’ve got a responsibility to try to make decisions that are in the best alignment using medical experts and talking with Matthew,” McVay explained. Aside from Stafford’s elbow injury, McVay revealed that he believed that the 34-year-old player “looked really good” during training on Thursday.

The post Matthew Stafford’s Elbow Pain “Abnormal”, Says Rams Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Rams’ offseason trade for Matthew Stafford seems to be paying off. Stafford came in strong on Sunday night and led the Rams to a 30-27 win over reigning Super Bowl champs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with two passing touchdowns and one rushing TD. His 366 passing yards were the third-most in a single playoff game in the franchise’s history.

While the night finished victorious for the Rams and Stafford, it almost went the other way. Holding a 27-3 lead midway through the third quarter, the LA team became reckless and allowed Tom Brady to start one of his signature comebacks.

After a sluggish first part of the contest, Brady started connecting with his receivers, and the Bucs went on to score 24 unanswered points to tie the game, including three touchdowns and a field goal. Tampa Bay’s defense also played a crucial role, forcing three fumbles, including one in the red zone.

Following this scoring rampage by the Bucs, the Rams found themselves with the ball and 42 seconds to work with at their own 25 yards. However, this proved to be more than enough for Stafford, who arrived in LA from Detroit Lions in exchange for a package that included former first overall pick Jared Goff and two future first-rounders.

On the second play of the drive, Stafford found wideout Cooper Kupp for a 20-yard gain. The two connected once again on the next play, this time for a 44-yard gain. This set up a 30-yard field goal attempt that kicker Matt Gay converted as the time was running out to give his team a major win.

“It felt like that ball hung up for about 12 seconds,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay after the game. “But those guys did a great job. I thought Matthew Stafford was unbelievable throughout the whole day. Just his poise, his command, his demeanor, his decision-making.”

The Rams will now play the San Francisco 49ers, who upset the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, in the NFC Championship game next Sunday. The AFC Championship game will see the Super Bowl favorites Kansas City Chiefs playing the Cincinnati Bengals.

The post Rams Hold Off Tom Brady, Bucs’ Comeback Attempt appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The season might not be over for the San Francisco 49ers. Despite opening 2021 with a 3-5 record, the 49ers kept their playoffs hopes alive by beating the heavily-favored Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

The 49ers’ defense came up big to start the game, intercepting Rams star quarterback Matthew Stafford. Facing 2nd&8 on his own half, Stafford threw a bomb to newly-acquired wideout Odell Beckham Jr., but the pass was well off and allowed San Francisco’s safety Jimmie Ward to come up with a pick.

The interception set up an impressive drive by the 49ers offense that included 18 plays, and lasted more than 11 minutes, covered 93 yards, and culminated with QB Jimmy Garoppolo finding tight end George Kittle in the endzone.

Shortly after, Ward picked off Stafford once again, but this time he managed to go all the way to the end and make it 14-0 for San Francisco.

The Rams finally managed to put some points on the board early in the second quarter after Stafford connected with tight end Tyler Higbee on a 10-yard TD pass.

Everyone expected the Rams to pick themselves up after this, but the 49ers had other ideas and immediately responded with Deebo Samuel’s rushing touchdown before the end of the half.

The second half saw more of the same. The LA team struggled to get into the rhythm on both defense and offense while San Francisco continued to add to their lead with Robbie Gould’s 50-yarder and Samuel’s second TD of the game.

The Rams did manage to get on the board once more after Matt Gay made a 37-yarder late in the fourth to make it 10-31.

The win improved San Francisco to a 4-5 record, but they still have a long way to go if they want to make it to the postseason. The Rams, on the other hand, are 7-3 and sit one game behind the Arizona Cardinals (8-2) in NFC West.

The post 49ers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive With Win Over Rams appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Rams’ decision to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford in March looks better with each passing game. Stafford stepped once again for the Rams on Sunday, leading them to an impressive 34-24 win over the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stafford had a big night that saw him complete 27 passes out of 38 attempted and throwing for 343 yards and four touchdowns. This included a 75-yards TD pass to veteran wideout DeSean Jackson early in the second half.

Stafford’s impressive performance even earned praise from the opposing head coach Bruce Arians, who called him “a special player” after the game.

“We’re up in his face one time; he finds a guy wide open down the field and gets it to him. Other guys, they see him, but they can’t get it to ’em. He gets it to them, so he’s a special player,” Arians told reporters.

In the first three games in the Rams uniform, Stafford has now completed 70.2 percent of his passes while throwing for 942 yards and nine touchdowns. He only has one interception while the Rams remain undefeated with him under center.

The Bucs’ quarterback Tom Brady also had a huge night, throwing 55 times on a 74.5 completion percentage. He finished the night with 432 passing yards and one touchdown, but this still wasn’t enough for Tampa Bay to continue their winning streak.

The post Rams Defeat Bucs While Matthew Stafford Shines appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Rams will enter the 2021 NFL season with a new starting quarterback. According to multiple reports, the Rams made a deal with the Detroit Lions to acquire Pro Bowl signal-caller Matthew Stafford.

The trade will see the Rams getting Stafford while sending quarterback Jared Goff and draft picks to Detroit. Reportedly, the Lions will get first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 alongside a third-rounder in 2021.

The teams worked out the trade details over the weekend, but the agreement can’t be made official until March 17th, when the new league year starts.

Stafford and the Lions previously agreed to go their separate ways after another disappointing season in 2020. The team made changes in the front office and at the head coaching position recently and is expected to go down a complete rebuild in the recent future. The 32-year-old QB, on the other hand, wanted to go someplace where he can play meaningful football and challenge for a Super Bowl.

Sources close to the Lions organization say that there were “seven or eight teams” interested in Matthew Stafford, but the player wanted to go to Los Angeles. This came to be when the Rams decided Stafford could be the missing piece and decided to increase their offer.

The trade immediately makes the Rams one of the favorites in the NFC. While he never managed to win a playoff game with the Lions, Stafford is considered one of the most talented QBs in the NFL in recent decades.

During his time in Detroit, he broke almost every Lions passing record while posting eight seasons with 4,000+ yards. In total, he started 165 games and threw for 45,109 and 282 passing touchdowns.

The Rams seemed set on Jared Goff as the quarterback of their future, especially after giving him a four-year, $134 million extension in 2019. But Goff’s inconsistency and turnover problems in the past two years started bothering head coach Sean McVay.

Having arguably the best defense in the league at this moment, the Rams knew they needed to do something to get more consistency and production on the offensive end. If Stafford manages to bring this, they may be back in the Super Bowl in no time.

The post Rams Acquire Lions QB Matthew Stafford in a Blockbuster Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a partial ligament tear in the thumb of his throwing hand in the Lions 30-27 win over the Washington Football Team on Sunday.

However, the coaching staff does not expect him to miss any time. The team announced that they will follow Stafford’s progress over the course of the week to see how he is throwing the ball before a final decision is made.

Stafford is known for his toughness and has played through injuries many times in his career, which is why most expect that he is going to start in the Lions’ next game against the Carolina Panthers.

X-rays were performed on Stafford’s hand and they confirmed that there were no breaks or fractures found.

Stafford missed significant time last season with a non-displaced fracture in his spine, but has been healthy and playing well this season.

If Stafford can’t go, the Lions will most likely turn to backup Chase Daniel.

The Lions currently have a 4-5 and are in last place in the NFC North, but are still in the divisional race. The second-place Chicago Bears are 5-5 while the Green Bay Packers lead the division with a 7-2 record.

The post Lions QB Stafford Expected to Play Through Partially Torn Ligament in Thumb appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Known for his late fourth-quarter heroics, Detroit Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford is the last person in the league you want to turn over the ball to when the game is on the line. But Atlanta Falcons did it regardless on Sunday night and now have a 23-22 defeat to show for.

Entering the final two minutes of the contest against the Lions, Falcons looked in good shape to win the game and feel better about their disappointing season. Trailing two points, Atlanta had first-and-goal at Detroit’s 10-yard line. They needed to run down the clock and kick a near-goal field goal to take it all home.

But things took a bad turn for the Falcons quickly.

With 1:12 left in the contest, running back Todd Gurley received a hand-off and was offered a clear path to the end zone by Detroit Lions D-line. Gurley knew he was baited and attempted to stop himself short of the goal line. However, the momentum made him break the plain, and he ended up scoring the touchdown Atlanta didn’t want.

With 1:04 on the clock, Stafford received the ball and went to work. Not having the convenience of a single timeout, the 32-year-old marched his offense 75 yards down the field and found T.J. Hockenson in the endzone with no time left on the clock to add another big comeback to his resume.

Matthew Stafford now has 30 fourth-quarter comebacks, which is the eighth-most in the history of the league.

“We were up against the clock as good as you could be, and guys made plays,” said Stafford after the game. “I love doing that. That’s my favorite part about playing the game. I love this game, I love competing, and there’s no more competitive, pressure-packed situation than whatever it was, (second)-and-goal from the (11)-yard line with no time left. I mean, that’s what you live for as a quarterback.”

With this win, Lions managed to keep themselves in playoff contention with a 3-3 record. Falcons, on the other hand, are now 1-6.

The post Lions’ Beat Falcons with a Last-Second TD Pass by Matthew Stafford appeared first on SportzBonanza.