The Los Angeles Rams stumbled somewhat down the stretch of the regular season, but they showed their resilience with a gritty Wild Card win over the Carolina Panthers. Quarterback Matthew Stafford battled through a finger injury suffered late in the first half, yet still delivered a clutch fourth-quarter drive to seal the victory.
And according to one of his former wide receivers, Golden Tate, this kind of toughness is nothing new for Stafford.
Golden Tate Shares Story That Defines Matthew Stafford’s Toughness
Tate, who played alongside Stafford on the Detroit Lions from 2014 to 2018, shared a telling anecdote about the quarterback’s toughness following the Rams’ Wild Card win over the Panthers on Saturday night.
Posting on X, Tate recalled a moment when Stafford injured a finger on his throwing hand during a game. When the Pro Bowl WR asked if he was OK, Stafford’s response was blunt.
“Bro, I’m straight,” Stafford told him. “I got nine other fingers.”
As Tate and countless teammates over the years have come to know, Stafford is simply built differently.
The 37-year-old set the tone early against Carolina, leading the Rams to points on their opening drive by connecting with Puka Nacua three times, including a 14-yard touchdown pass. Los Angeles struck again in the second quarter, extending the lead on another drive capped by a five-yard touchdown run from Nacua.
Carolina responded with two second-quarter scores, but the game took a concerning turn for the Rams late in the half when Stafford had his finger bent back while following through on a throw.
“I didn’t obviously know exactly what had happened,” Stafford said about the injury postgame. “It wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t great.”
Despite the injury, Stafford never came out. And when the Panthers scored twice more in the second half to keep the game tight, he answered yet again, throwing two additional touchdown passes, including the game-winner in the final minutes to secure a 34–31 victory.
Stafford finished the night with 304 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, delivering when the Rams needed him most. One of the frontrunners in the MVP conversation alongside Drake Maye and ranked sixth in PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, Stafford downplayed any concern about the injury moving forward.
“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.”
The Rams will now wait to see who they face next. Following the Bears’ win over the Packers, Los Angeles awaits the outcome of the San Francisco 49ers’ matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
If the 49ers advance, the Rams would travel to face the Chicago Bears, the No. 2 seed in the NFC. If the Eagles advance, Los Angeles would instead travel to face the Seattle Seahawks, the No. 1 seed in the NFC.