After staying healthy almost all offseason, the Los Angeles Rams have suffered some major losses since the start of the regular season. Myles Garrett went down after Week 1, followed by Puka Nacua, Kam Kinchens, Terrance Ferguson and now three more key players: Davante Adams, Poona Ford and Kobie Turner, all of whom are on IR.
Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals was a stark reminder of just how quickly players’ seasons can end due to injury.
Fans are obviously disappointed, but Matthew Stafford shared an important reminder of just how crushing these injuries are for the players who put in countless hours of work throughout the year.
“I again feel for Davante, disappointed for those guys,” he said. “Everybody sees these [injured players]
and they're on their fantasy team or whatever and they're like, 'I have to trade a guy in and out now.' We're like, 'Well, that guy has worked his ass off for the last eight months to get this opportunity and it's unfortunate he doesn't get to do what he loves to do.' I feel more for our guys than I do for anybody else. I know the work that they put into it to be out here doing what they love so that hurts me for them.”
As the quarterback of the team, Stafford feels even more responsibility to keep the Rams going as they try to win a Super Bowl. He’s always the first to receive the praise for wins and criticism for losses, but with so many of the Rams’ top players out now, even more falls on his shoulders.
And it’s not as if he hasn’t been through times like this one. He was on Lions teams that struggled to win and battled through injuries. He was also on the 2022 Rams when they lost almost all of their best players to IR, including himself.
“I've been a part of seasons like that before, and time periods, whether that's some guys with those season-ending and some are not,” Stafford said. “I don't want to group everybody in the same way. I've just been a part of these times before and I think that's when my role becomes even more important. As a leader, as somebody that can try and help steady the ship for us and make sure that I'm doing my part to do everything that I can to help us win football games, it becomes even more important.”
He wants to make sure that when guys like Adams and Turner do return, they have something to play for because the Rams are in contention still.
“I think I just feel even more responsibility to try to be as good as I can be to help us continue to win,” he added. “In some of those guys' instances where they're going to have opportunities to hopefully come back and play for us, make sure that when they come back and play for us, it's meaningful stuff for them.”
Stafford has been the leader of his team since he was drafted by the Lions first overall in 2009. He’s accustom to being a captain and someone teammates look to in the locker room and in the huddle.
Now that younger players will be asked to step up, even more attention goes toward Stafford. He’s not going to change the way he leads, but rather focus on doing whatever he can to make the team better.
“I'm not going to go outside of the framework of what I feel comfortable with when it comes to leadership, but at the same time, just how steady can I be?” Stafford said. “How good can I be? Sometimes, that's having a conversation with a guy. Other times that's checking a ball down and not forcing one. Whatever it is, I'm just going to try to do my part as everybody is. Look themselves in the mirror. Hey, how can I be better to help our team? If I can lead the way doing that, whether that's how I go through my walk-through, how I go through practice, all that. I just want to lead the way for those guys and let them know that, listen, I've been in instances like this before and I've been on teams that have turned things around in that regard. Hopefully they can look to me and feel comfortable that I'm leading the way and doing what I can to help us be where we want to be.”
His insight is a valuable reminder of just how quickly things can turn in a season, and with the Rams’ backs against the wall at 2-4, their Super Bowl hopes could hinge on his leadership and play on the field.
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This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford shares important perspective on Rams' brutal injuries
