Even though playoff performance doesn’t count towards MVP voting, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford showed why he is many people’s favorites to take home the award this season. The underdog Carolina Panthers gave the Rams everything they had, but Stafford was able to lead his team to a hard-fought 34-31 victory in the Wild Card round on Saturday.
Stafford threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, including the game-winning toss to tight end Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds remaining. But despite his outstanding performance, Stafford did not leave the game unscathed.
Head coach Sean McVay spoke about Stafford, saying the quarterback suffered a sprain to his index finger, but will be good to go for the Rams’ divisional round against the Chicago Bears, via Stu Jackson of theRams.com:
Sean McVay said Matthew Stafford has a sprain on his index finger but will be good to go for Sunday at Bears
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) January 12, 2026
It is playoff time, so it would take a whole lot more than a finger sprain to keep Stafford off the field. Though while Stafford is sure to suit up in Chicago, that finger sprain can definitely affect him when the Rams take the field against the Bears. Getting a proper grip on the ball is extremely important and the cold weather in Chicago won’t make things any easier.
But Stafford has been in this league for a long time and has experienced basically everything there is to experience in the league. And whatever adjustments he may have to make to ensure he performs to his standard and can lead the Rams to victory, he will do.
It certainly helps to have all of the weapons he has at his disposal with the wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams leading the way. Along with the running back duo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, their group of tight ends, and an offensive line that seems to finally be getting healthy, the Rams have everything they need to go into Chicago and come out with a win.
Rams’ Matthew Stafford & Puka Nacua named AP First Team All-Pros
Whether Stafford will ultimately win the NFL MVP Award is still unknown at this point, but the Rams’ quarterback has already gotten his first accolade of the 2025 season as both he and wide receiver Puka Nacua were named to the AP All-Pro First Team, to the surprise of no one.
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