Matthew Stafford missed nearly a month of practice this summer with an aggravated disc in his back, at one point raising concerns about whether he’d be ready for the start of the regular season. He returned to practice in mid-August and has looked every bit like a top-tier quarterback, showing that his absence in camp was a non-issue.
Two weeks into the season, Stafford has taken 12 total hits from opposing defenders and has been sacked four times, so his back has been tested. During his appearance on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go!” show on Monday, he shared an update on how he’s feeling after not only playing two games, but also taking two long flights.
“My back feels good. Made it out of that one clean,” he said. “Sometimes the scariest part is flying to the East Coast and flying back. You know, you get on an airplane and get up and an old man and you feel a little different kind of way. But I feel great after two games, feeling really solid. Our guys up front are doing a hell of a job of keeping me clean.”
Stafford hasn’t so much as winced a single time on the field, which is encouraging given the unpredictability of some back injuries. As Stafford said, simply sitting on a plane for too long can cause a slight tweak, but neither that nor the hits he’s taken have caused any setbacks.
Up next, Stafford has two more challenges on the docket: a long flight to Philadelphia and surviving the Eagles’ physical defense on Sunday.
“On the defensive side, it’s been impressive because they did lose some pieces, whether it be through free agency or guys moving on,” Stafford said of the Eagles. “But they’ve been able to retool. I think Vic Fangio does a hell of a job getting those guys ready to play every single week. And really their defense has done a really nice job at keeping them in those games. And then timely scoring. I mean, you look at it, they are as talented as anybody from top to bottom on both sides of the football. And they’ve been really timely in their ability to score points and win games.”
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford gives update on how his back feels after two games and two long flights
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
