The Georgia Bulldogs have developed some resilient NFL athletes. One of them is quarterback Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams. As reported by ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, Stafford mentioned that he had been dealing with cracked ribs “for some time” throughout the 2024 NFL season. The media only found out about Stafford’s injury after the Rams were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles, a squad featuring several former Bulldogs, in the divisional round.
Kelly, Stafford’s wife, disclosed on her podcast that he fractured four ribs during the Week 15 victory against the San Francisco 49ers. In spite of the injury, he continued to play for the rest of the season, excluding the Week 18 game against Seattle in which the Rams rested all their starters.
Stafford is extremely resilient, beginning a minimum of 15 games in 12 out of his 14 NFL seasons. A portion of Stafford’s resilience stems from his readiness to compete despite injuries.
Stafford will turn 37 at the beginning of the new season, making retirement a potential option. Stafford seems to be inclined to make a comeback next season. Former Georgia Bulldog quarterback Stetson Bennett is the only Rams quarterback besides Stafford with a contract for next season.
Stafford had a strong performance against the Eagles, passing for 324 yards and two touchdowns without any interceptions on 44 throws. Nonetheless, he was dismissed five times and turned over the ball once. He was troubled throughout the game by ex-Bulldogs Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter.
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