Rams' Matthew Stafford leaves game against Saints to be evaluated for concussion
One week after missing a game due to a concussion, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford left Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints and was evaluated for a concussion.
The Rams announced Friday that Stafford cleared the league's concussion protocol — which underwent changes earlier this season and faced much scrutiny in the wake of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's scary injury on Sept. 30.
Last Sunday, John Wolford quarterbacked the Rams in a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Inactive this week with a neck injury, Wolford was replaced on the depth chart by Bryce Perkins, who relieved Stafford in New Orleans.
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Before exiting, Stafford was 11-for-18 with 159 passing yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yard connection with Tutu Atwell.
Entering the game, Stafford had as many touchdowns (eight) as interceptions, but he had not thrown a pick in his past two games.
The NFL and NFL Players' Association investigated the Dolphins' handling of Tagovailoa's evaluation for a concussion that allowed him to return to a Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills only to suffer a debilitating concussion four days later against the Cincinnati Bengals. The change went into effect two weeks later, with the term "ataxia" — an abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue — taking a central role. Any player showing signs of ataxia is now prohibited from returning to a game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rams' Matthew Stafford exits game, evaluated for concussion
