Matthew Stafford's sore arm could be symptom of overuse Rams fans already questioned

"Well, this is another nice mess you've gotten me into."

comic actor Oliver Hardy (1892-1957)

Los Angeles Rams fans have watched the team commit Matthew Stafford to throwing the football fall more often than he should. After eight games, he is on pace to throw 643 passes. That comes on the heels of two games in which he settled into a 27-per-game pace.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 38-year-old Stafford has developed arm soreness before the halfway point:

That's some mess, and while it's rather alarming, it's also to be expected. Stafford threw a career-high 727 passes in 2012, and 663 in 2011. He has only attempted over 600 once in Los Angeles, and that was in 2021. Five years ago, he was 33 years old. Today, he is closing in on 39.

Stafford is still the Rams' starting quarterback. He's also past the age at which many QBs choose retirement. Of course, coming off an MVP season made the choice to return easy. But Father Time is coming. Like it or not, even Stafford must bend the knee at some point.

After an incredible 2025, he is showing signs of reaching that moment.

Rams have no business asking Matthew Stafford to throw 50+ passes

When Stafford played for the Detroit Lions, they understood Stafford had to throw plenty of passes. The Lions never established a formidable running back room to support the girl-dad quarterback. While Stafford was happy to throw so often, it didn't get the Lions to the promised land. That ultimately compelled both sides to seek a trade.

Stafford ended up in Los Angeles.

The Rams have no business asking Stafford to repeat his historic feats of endurance. They have assembled a potent one-two punch in Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. The only thing holding them back from posting 1,000 rushing yards apiece this season is the lack of carries.

It's no wonder that Williams openly expressed his frustration after a two-point loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

More than once this season, when the passing offense sputtered the running backs saved the day. But the Rams only sprang to life after committing to the run game. With their success leaning on it against the Raiders and in the second half last week, fans can't help but imagine what a consistent commitment might look like.

To the Rams' credit, they've limited him to under 30 throws per contest over the last three weeks.

Stafford is going to Stafford. Someone on the coaching staff has to do a better job understanding the season's long-term strategy. Asking a nearly-39-year-old quarterback to pass beyond his limits is not only short-sighted, it sets up opposing defenses to anticipate what's coming.

Fans knew weeks ago that Stafford couldn't keep throwing 50 passes a game. If there's any substance to his arm soreness, perhaps the team will figure it out now as well.

As always, thanks for reading.

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