Matthew Stafford epitomizes toughness, a quality he tested extensively this past year. The Los Angeles Rams faced a tumultuous season, culminating in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the snowy NFC Divisional Round. Earlier, they secured a victory against the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round. In the last two years, the Rams reached the playoffs largely due to their star quarterback.
The Super Bowl champion has played through numerous injuries, and according to his wife Kelly, he continued that trend into 2024. During an appearance on The Morning After, Kelly revealed that he played with broken ribs after the team’s Week 15 win over their rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. Stafford, drafted first overall by the Detroit Lions in 2009 after an impressive college career at the University of Georgia, remained with the Lions until 2020 when they traded him to Los Angeles in exchange for Jared Goff. Since the trade, the Rams have not only won the Super Bowl but also made the playoffs two additional times. Meanwhile, Detroit has also found its own success, notably defeating Stafford’s Rams in a gripping playoff game last winter.
As for Stafford’s future, only time will tell how much longer he can play at such a high level in such a demanding position, given the considerable mileage he has accumulated. Yet, he shows no signs of slowing down; following Week 15, his performance remained stellar. Over his distinguished career, Stafford has tallied 59,809 passing yards and 377 touchdowns across 222 games.
