ClutchPoints
Los Angeles Rams star quarterback Matthew Stafford had a crafty way of getting through his back injury in the team’s season-opener against the Houston Texans on Sept. 7.
Stafford has been dealing with back issues before the 2025 NFL season started. It has prevented him from being fully healthy, needing day-to-day treatment to persevere through the nagging pain.
Luckily for him, he found a way to have a solid display for the Rams against a stout Texans defense. He completed 21 passes out of 29 attempts for 245 yards and a touchdown, making the movements when necessary to not put too much weight on his back.
Stafford pulled this off by being quick with his passes, not taking long to make decisions before opposing defenses can reach him. He averaged the league’s third-lowest time to throw in Week 1 at 2.33 seconds, per reporter Nate Atkins.
“Matthew Stafford averaged the NFL’s third-lowest time to throw in Week 1 at 2.33 seconds with a league-low 3 attempts at 3+ seconds, per @TruMediaSports. Self-preservation with a back issue and vs. the Texans front. And it worked for 72% completions and 8.4 yards per attempt,” Atkins said.
“By contrast, Matthew Stafford averaged 2.63 seconds last season, good for 15th among starting QBs. He’s averaged 2.59 seconds in his Rams career — 10th best in that time. I think the use of 12-personnel is going to allow him and the offense to speed up on some early reads.”
It’s clear that until the back pain dissipates, Matthew Stafford will have to make fast passes to lessen the risk of him taking sacks that can aggravate the injury.
That’s why it will be important for the Rams’ offensive line to protect him as much as possible. Defenses are aware of Stafford’s talents as one of the best veteran quarterbacks when healthy, which is why they will attempt to break down the offensive line to get to him.
The Rams will look forward to their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. ET.
The post How Rams’ Matthew Stafford protected back injury in Week 1 win over Texans appeared first on ClutchPoints.
