Matthew Stafford won’t be limited in Rams’ opener vs. Bills

After an offseason of concerns, Matthew Stafford’s elbow should be healthy enough for him to take on a heavy workload when the Rams open up the 2022 NFL regular season against the Bills on Thursday.

“I feel good,” Stafford said Sunday. “I’m ready to go. No limitations.”

Stafford added he feels he can make every throw if need be, echoing his sentiments from a month ago.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback dealt with an elbow injury for much of the offseason that limited his throwing during training camp. Rams coach Sean McVay shared in August that the pain Stafford experienced in his elbow was “abnormal” for a quarterback, saying it was something MLB pitchers were more likely to deal with.

With that in mind, McVay wanted to ramp Stafford up in order for him to experience as little pain as possible. Stafford also didn’t play in the preseason. With the start of the season just days away, McVay sang an optimistic tune on Sunday, telling reporters Stafford will have “no limitations” on Thursday.

“He’ll be ready to go,” McVay said. 

McVay added that there’s “no hesitation” for Stafford to throw 50-plus times if he has to on Thursday.

Stafford originally dealt with the elbow injury during the Rams’ championship run in 2021. He didn’t miss a game and still performed at a top level, completing 67.2% of his passes for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. 

In the postseason, Stafford threw for 1,188 yards with nine touchdowns and three picks to boast a 108.3 passer rating.