Injuries have become somewhat of a theme for the Los Angeles Rams in 2026. However, despite injuries to some of their best players, the Rams have found ways to overcome them. The Rams have been without Myles Garrett since Week 1 and have managed injuries to Trent McDuffie, Davante Adams, and many others. However, just as the Rams seemed to be getting healthy, quarterback Matthew Stafford was seen leaving the locker room with a bag of ice wrapped to his right arm. 

Through eight weeks of an NFL season, players are bound to have the typical wear and tear. However, seeing Stafford with ice around his throwing arm is certainly cause for concern and makes this a situation worth monitoring.

Head coach Sean McVay was asked about Stafford having ice around his arm, but didn’t provide any information. McVay simply played dumb as if he wasn’t aware of the situation. 

“He's had some soreness there,” said McVay. “I think he'd be better equipped once you guys talk to him to answer that. I can't attest to stuff that I'm not necessarily aware of.”

Rams Have Been Down This Road With Matthew Stafford Before

This wouldn’t be the first time that Stafford has had elbow soreness. In 2022, Stafford dealt with elbow soreness. The Rams played the situation off as something not to be concerned about, but McVay said after the season, “People forget how big of a deal that was.”

The elbow injury clearly limited Stafford in 2022 and it’s something that the Rams have tried to manage over the last couple of years. During OTAs and training camp, Stafford only practiced on certain days.

Coming off of an MVP season, Stafford hasn’t necessarily had the start to the year that some expected. While there was bound to be some regression, Stafford hasn’t been consistent or as sharp as many are accustomed to. 

Stafford’s 0.08 EPA per pass and 92.6 quarterback rating both rank 15th. He’s thrown eight interceptions this season, already matching his total from last year. 

Matthew Stafford's Passing Numbers Raise Some Red Flags

At times, Stafford has missed throws that he hasn’t missed in the past. The Rams’ passing game has also become less explosive as Stafford hasn’t pushed the ball downfield as often. Stafford has an average depth of target of 7.89 yards, ranking 16th. While that number is close to what it was in 2023 and 2024, over the last four weeks, Stafford has an ADOT of 5.5, ranking 25th out of 27 quarterbacks. 

More concerning, however, has been Stafford’s intended air yards per pass attempt. Over the last four weeks, Stafford’s intended air yards per pass attempt has been under 6.0 and has averaged 5.23. In the previous four weeks, he averaged 9.5. Stafford has had four straight games averaging under six intended air yards per pass attempt. He had only done that four times total from Week 2 of the 2024 season to Week 4 of this year.

Two of Stafford’s 10 lowest single-game averages in intended air yards per attempt have come this season. Three others came in 2022 when Stafford also dealt with elbow soreness.

Adding to that, two of Stafford’s 10 lowest single-game averages in completed air yards per pass attempt have come in the last two weeks. Stafford averaged 2.2 completed air yards per pass attempt against the Chargers and 2.1 against the Raiders.  Again, Stafford has averaged under 3.0 completed air yards per pass attempt in each of the last three games. That happened three times total from Week 17 of 2024 to Week 5 of this year. 

Rams Can't Afford to Overlook Matthew Stafford's Elbow Soreness

It’s going to take more than elbow soreness to keep Stafford out of a game. Stafford is widely regarded as one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL. Despite Stafford being seen icing his elbow, it’s unlikely that he shows up on the injury report or misses practice.

This isn’t to say that Stafford having elbow soreness is a good thing, but it may force the Rams and McVay to lean more into the run game and become more balanced on offense. Stafford threw 50 or more passes in three consecutive games this season, which could have led to his elbow flaring up. Those three games rank among the five highest single-game passing attempt totals of Stafford’s career.

It’s certainly possible that Stafford’s elbow soreness and recent decline are unrelated. Regression was going to happen. However, Stafford being seen icing his elbow in combination with his recent drop in pushing the ball downfield certainly raises some red flags. Comparing the situation to 2022, it’s fair to wonder if there’s more to the situation than the Rams are letting on. The similarities to 2022 are enough to warrant concern, even if the severity of the injury remains unknown.