In the first half of Saturday’s playoff win against the Panthers, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford jammed his hand against a defender. While it clearly seemed to bother him, it also didn’t seem to affect him.
After the game, Stafford was asked about the injury by reporters.
“I got a finger bent back,” Stafford said. “They saw it on the TV, on the sideline or whatever. I didn’t, obviously, know exactly what had happened. It wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t great. We’ll see what it is. Was obviously able to finish the game and throw it decent. You know, once the ball’s snapped, the adrenaline’s pretty good. So we’ll hopefully, you know, just keep it going.”
While Stafford has a long reputation for playing through injuries, if his finger swells up or tightens, it could be a challenge to throw the ball in the divisional round.
For the game, Stafford completed 24 of 42 passes for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He now has eight straight playoff games with multiple touchdown passes, matching Joe Flacco for the second longest streak in league history.
Next weekend, Stafford will have a chance to catch Aaron Rodgers for the all-time record of nine. Barring a second-half turnaround by the Bears against the Packers, it’ll happen either at Philadelphia or at home against the 49ers.