LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford played through injuries and pain

Stafford’s injury was similar to Donald’s injury

Further seems he broke the cartilage on his eighth rib during a December 2020 contest versus the Green Bay Packers.  If you recall, torn cartilage is the injury that hampered defensive lineman Aaron Donald against the Packers.  The eighth rib is located in the lower part of your chest, and it’s the last “true rib” of the 12 ribs we all got. (err, at least what all males got). By true rib, it’s the last rib that connects to the breastbone and forms a complete protective cage for the vital organs like the heart and lungs.

Los Angeles Rams

Imagine trying to heave a tight spiral downfield with that kind of impediment going on in the center mass of your body? We know that Aaron Donald, one of the most physically fit and dominating players in the NFL, played somewhere between 50 and 75 percent of his healthy self, and he was not nearly the same in that playoff game.

And finally, that last one – the subtalar ankle sprain affects the ligaments which hold all the bones of the ankle joint in place and functioning. The pain is typically localized near the heel and aggravated by walking. Foot injuries are tremendously bothersome because there is no ‘rest position’ when you are on your feet

So imagine what kinda’, um…, “aggravation” might be caused by trying to run away from a 300-pound lineman or a blitzing linebacker both equally intent on laying you out? The foot is the basic foundation of each and every pass. How can you make accurate passes without a solid foundation to launch the pass?   Just one more curiosity to record under the How-did-Matthew-Stafford-do-that? category, I suppose.