CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Matthew Stafford was thrilled with the Rams’ playoff victory Saturday, but he did appear to have at least some concern about the status of his throwing hand going forward.
After Stafford, one of the favorites to win the NFL’s MVP award, got his finger bent back while following through on a throw at the end of the first half, things did not feel “pleasant,” Stafford said following Los Angeles’ 34-31 nail-biter over the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
He then indicated further testing likely will be needed to determine what, if anything, is wrong with it.
“I didn’t obviously know exactly what had happened,” the quarterback said. “It wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t great.
“We’ll see what it is.”
Replays showed the pointer digit on Stafford’s right hand collided with D.J. Wonnum’s forearm as the 37-year-old QB was trying to lead the Rams to a score just before halftime. Almost immediately after the collision, Stafford hit the turf in pain.
He could be seen flexing the hand over and over again, although he was able throw a strike to Puka Nacua on the ensuing play that would have been a touchdown if the wide receiver hadn’t dropped it.
Stafford went on to finish the game with 304 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Head coach Sean McVay told reporters he knew his signal-caller was “banged up,” but the throw to Nacua did help ease some of his anxiety.
“You could see him shaking it,” McVay said. “But he delivered a pretty damn good throw on the next play that our guy will typically make that one.”
Stafford, meanwhile, appeared optimistic it wouldn’t be too much for Rams fans to worry about as Los Angeles heads into the second round of the NFL playoffs.
“I was obviously able to finish the game and throw it decent,” he said. “Once the ball’s snapped, the adrenaline is pretty good. So, we’ll hopefully just keep it going.”
