Biggest hit Matthew Stafford suffered might have been NFC title game loss, which knocks him and Rams into uncertain offseason

Matthew Stafford reportedly received an epidural in August to relieve discomfort caused by an aggravated disc. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback spent time in an Ammortal chamber, a spaceship on wheels that’s worth $160,000 and aims to restore and rejuvenate with non-invasive, therapeutic technologies. He missed weeks of training camp.

No one dared to question Stafford’s toughness. That’s been off the table for a while now. But he’s 37 years old, and this summer it felt like he was one hit away from his degenerative back issue ending a career deserving of Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration.

It turns out the biggest blow Stafford took during his NFL MVP-worthy season might have been Sunday night’s 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship.

Much has been made of the Rams’ decisions late in the game, including going for it on fourth-and-4 from the Seattle 6-yard line down four points. Stafford, who threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, told a crowd of media at his locker that missing out on a Super Bowl return came down to more than just one mistake.

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That’s a familiar tale for a quarterback who has thrown for the sixth-most yards and seventh-most touchdowns all time, yet only surpassed a .500 regular-season record this season. A quarterback who once led the Detroit Lions to their first playoff appearance in 12 years, only to then watch his defense give up 626 yards in a wild-card loss to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

Stafford just played arguably the best postseason game of his career during the best season of his career and still lost.

That’s a hit that could be hard to come back from. Stafford said Monday on the “Let’s Go” podcast he’ll take his time deciding his future.

“There will be a lot that goes into it,” he said. “It’s a physical, mental and emotional decision. A personal and a family decision as well. So, we’ll figure all that kind of stuff out with some time.

“I know I had a ton of fun playing football this season and so much fun playing for the Rams. So, when I’m ready to figure that out, I’ll be ready to figure that out. That moment isn’t right now.”

Rams head coach Sean McVay was asked Sunday night if expects Stafford to be back next season.

“Yeah,” McVay said without hesitation. “I mean, if he still wants to play. The hell kind of question is that?”

If he still wants to play. That’s the question. After this season, there’s little question he can.

‘This guy played at a level that’s just different’

Stafford had to adjust his game this season, and so did McVay.

The quarterback couldn’t afford to take a bounty of punishing hits, the kind he had so often stomached to deliver heat-seeking missiles downfield. In part thanks to one of the league’s best offensive lines, his 3.71% sack percentage was the second-lowest of his career. But also his 26 throwaways were tied for his third-most in a season, according to Pro Football Focus, and he kept his scramble numbers down.

The coach needed to diversify his genius offense and managed to do so midseason, incorporating a heavy dose of 12 and 13 personnel, splicing in two- and three-tight end packages that infused more physicality in the Rams’ run game and made their aerial attack more unpredictable.

What resulted was a unit that finished the regular season first in total yards per game (394.6), points per game (30.5), points per drive (2.8) and passing yards per game (268.1), as well as seventh in rushing yards per game (126.6), seventh in red-zone touchdown percentage (63.2%) and, per Next Gen Stats, top five in both EPA per pass and EPA per rush.

Despite Stafford’s lost preseason time, it wasn’t long before he gelled with Davante Adams and picked up where he left off with Puka Nacua. Despite the gray in his beard, he still made sidearm throws like a shortstop, pulling ripcord from every arm slot imaginable. Despite the years of tape on him, he still fooled defenses with his famous no-look passes, deception made possible by so much trust and so much on timing that it never ceases to amaze.

He was a maestro against the blitz, orchestrating offense against extra rushers to the tune of a league-high 32 touchdowns and only one interception, per NGS.

Stafford wasn’t perfect. Early in the regular season in Philadelphia, he missed throws he usually makes in his sleep, inviting the Eagles to stage a second-half comeback. Down the stretch, his three-pick outing in a head-scratching loss to the Atlanta Falcons stuck out like a sore thumb. And versus the Chicago Bears in the divisional round of the playoffs, he wasn’t unflappable under duress caused by secondary-themed pressure packages.

But he mostly delivered, especially in the clutch, earning All-Pro honors for the first time in his career and slinging a personal-best 46 touchdowns before overcoming a banged-up index finger on his throwing hand and piloting game-winning drives against the Carolina Panthers and the Bears in the postseason.

“He’s still playing at a pretty damn good clip,” McVay said of Stafford postgame on Sunday. “He’s the MVP of the league. And if he’s not — I mean, I’ve got respect for everybody else, but this guy played a level that’s just different.”

Adams’ vocal cords were reluctant to cooperate as tears welled in the aftermath of his fifth NFC title game defeat. But he had no regrets about joining the Rams this past offseason. The former Green Bay Packers star receiver called it a “dream” to play with Stafford.

“This is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game and one of the coolest teammates that I’ve ever had,” said the three-time All-Pro, who’s notably close with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.

Where do Rams go now, after ‘special’ season that nevertheless fell short?

After the Rams’ heartbreaking defeat to their divisional rival on Sunday, McVay admitted he was short on words, a rare sight for an encyclopedic coach usually buzzing with energy.

To answer a question about what he told his team in the wake of that loss, he embarked on a 55-second answer. He used the word “special” three times.

“I love this team,” McVay said, sentiment discernible in his voice. “And I wasn’t ready to stop working with them. I thought we had two more weeks together. But I am really grateful for each of those individuals and the collective. It’s as special of a group, top to bottom, as I’ve ever been around. That’s coaches and players included.”

He continued: “This game has brought me some of the most special relationships that I’ll cherish. That’s what this team has done. This was a special year. I think it’s hard to fathom that it’s over. It’ll take some time. But nothing but gratitude, that’s what I want them to know.”

Following the lone losing season of the McVay era in L.A. — a 5-12 campaign in 2022 that saw Stafford sidelined because of spinal cord contusion and concussion symptoms, which preceded a roster reset — the Rams have leveled up three years in a row.

They reached the wild-card round in the 2023 season, the divisional round in the 2024 season and the NFC championship in the 2025 season. So maybe they’re one step away.

Except in a world of coachspeak, McVay cut right through it to get to the truth on Sunday.

“You start all over,” McVay said.

Those words are sobering yet powerful. They beg the question, though:

Where do the Rams go from here?

Surely, they’ll go back to the drawing board on special teams, which have been a weak link at various points of McVay’s tenure. This season, that phase of the game was L.A.’s Achilles’ heel. In Week 16, days after Rashid Shaheed’s game-changing punt return touchdown that fueled an improbable Seahawks victory, McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, making his first in-season coaching change in his nine seasons at the helm in an attempt to address the issue.

It still came back to bite them.

Of the Rams’ six total losses this season, four featured special teams gaffes, including Sunday’s critical fumble by returner Dareke Young. Los Angeles overhauled its kicking operation before Week 10 too, pivoting from Karty to Harrison Mevis and changing longsnappers.

Special teams are not the only problem L.A. has on its hands. The Rams are due for an upgrade at outside corner. It’s a soft spot on a defense that otherwise was solid this season, ranking 10th in fewest points per game allowed (20.4) and, per NGS, tied for ninth in EPA per play allowed (-0.11).

The team hit home runs in free agency with a pair of under-the-radar signings this past offseason, bringing in run-stopping nose tackle Poona Ford and linebacker Nate Landman, who helped stabilize the second level. The Rams’ defensive line is young and growing. At safety, Quentin Lake has continued his ascent.

There’s a lot to like about what the Rams have built. In the NFL, however, roster construction only goes so far, and so does coaching. Success is hard to carry over year-to-year.

That said, if Stafford keeps playing anywhere close to the way he did this season, the Rams will remain in the Super Bowl conversation.

If Stafford keeps playing. That’s the real qualifier after Sunday’s hit, a metaphorical one that had him and the Rams staring up at what could have been.

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