The Los Angeles Rams have placed quarterback Matthew Stafford on injured reserve.
The quarterback cleared concussion protocol Friday but was ruled out of Sunday's contest against Seattle due to a neck injury. Now he's slated to miss at least the next four games after the decision to place him on IR.
Although that timeline would allow Stafford to return in Week 17, the 3-8 Rams could presumably opt to hold their franchise signal-caller out for the remainder of the season given their position in the standings.
The 34-year-old has thrown for 2,087 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions through nine starts in 2022.
Stafford's trip to injured reserve is another blow to the defending Super Bowl champions in a lost season that few saw coming, and it's been a particularly painful year for the Pro Bowler.
An elbow injury plagued Stafford for most of the offseason, and he never seemed fully right in the first half of the year. The offense was consistently out of sync aside from his connection with Cooper Kupp, who is also on IR with a high ankle sprain, and it plummeted to a bottom-five unit in both scoring and yards.
Stafford has been in concussion protocol twice this year -- once when mid-week symptoms held him out of a Week 10 game against Arizona, and again due to a third-quarter hit against the Saints in a Week 11 loss.
Year 1 of the Stafford experience in Los Angeles resulted in a Super Bowl. Year 2 has all the appearances of a missed postseason. Only time will tell what's in store for Stafford and the Rams moving forward.
