Matthew Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams are already into the playoffs, clinching the wildcard round with an 11-5 record. While they are on a two-game losing streak, the game against the Arizona Cardinals is almost meaningless apart from playoff seeding purposes.
This has drove an intrigue among fans whether the Rams will play full strength, especially if they will include Stafford in their starting lineup.
Is Matthew Stafford Playing This Week?
Yes, Matthew Stafford is expected to feature in the game against the Cardinals on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium. Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed that Stafford and the rest of the team’s starters will be active, even though Los Angeles has already locked up a playoff spot.
The decision is rooted to the fact that the Rams suffered their second straight loss when they went down against the Atlanta Falcons last week. They also lost the game before this game, which in essence eliminated their chances of winning the division.
“We need to play,” McVay told reporters after the Falcons loss.
In the game against the Falcons, Stafford threw three interceptions against two touchdowns while throwing for 269 yards. After the game, the quarterback took responsibility for his performance.
“I just didn’t play well enough,” Stafford told reporters. “Nothing they did, to be honest with you. Same kind of stuff that they’ve been doing all year. Just–we didn’t execute well enough. I, obviously, didn’t play well enough, and that’s what it is.
“It boils down to execution every week, right? Either you do execute and make the throws, or you don’t. And I didn’t do that tonight. So, hurt us, and we weren’t able to overcome it.”
When Stafford was asked about McVay’s decision to play with full strength against the Cardinals, the quarterback said:
“I love to play. So, yeah, I’ll be ready to go.”
With the playoffs ahead, the Rams might be taking a risk by placing Stafford in the lineup. An injury here could jeopardize their entire postseason campaign. However, McVay believes in momentum and results and the last two consecutive losses might have influenced this decision.
It remains to be seen if the Rams get through this game without major injury while also getting back their lost momentum.
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