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Matthew Stafford Reportedly Received Epidural for Aggravated Disc in Back
The Los Angeles Rams have been confident in their public assessments that Matthew Stafford will be under center in Week 1 despite a lot of chatter and concern about the 37-year-old quarterback's health status. Stafford has not yet practiced at training camp, which is not an ideal situation as the calendar creeps closer to mid-August.
On Wednesday morning we received the most complete explanation to date about what the quarterback is dealing with as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Stafford is dealing with an aggravated disc in his back and has received an epidural to help him manage it. Rapoport added that the Rams still plan for their quarterback to be ready for Week 1.
Los Angeles enters the year with big aspirations coming off another highly successful year that ended in a competitive playoff loss against the Eagles in Philadelphia. Stafford is extraordinarily important to their quest and one figures that they will do what's best in the interest of keeping him healthy the entire season.
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Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.