Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Declares Quarterback Stafford Out for Season

The Los Angeles Rams' interminable slog of a season appears to have hit an insurmountable obstacle. Following his team's 27-23 Week 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Sean McVay expanded on quarterback Matthew Stafford's injury situation, explaining that the passer was suffering from a spinal cord contusion that is likely to cost him the remainder of the year.

Matthew Stafford has a spinal cord contusion, says Sean McVay. Went on IR this week, indication is season-ending.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) December 5, 2022

Stafford was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, indicating he would miss at least four games. McVay's words indicate his stay will easily exceed the minimum. Stafford will end his year with 2087 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and an 87.4 passer rating.

At 3-9, the Rams' season is essentially over regardless of whether or not Stafford can return. Typically, a team in a situation this dire would grudgingly embrace tanking the remainder of the season, but the Rams find themselves in an unenviable spot: the Detroit Lions own their 2023 first-round pick via the trade that brought Stafford to Los Angeles. As it stands, it's the fourth overall pick.

In the end, that first-round pick is a sunk cost, and the Rams shouldn't let it affect their plans. They must turn their attention to the 2023 season and accept that this year will go down as one of the worst (or at least most unlucky) Super Bowl championship defenses in NFL history.