THOUSAND OAKS — Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was placed in the concussion protocol for the second time this season and will miss Sunday’s road game against the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Sean McVay announced Wednesday.
McVay said it hasn’t been determined whether Stafford sustained a concussion in last week’s loss against the New Orleans Saints and specified Stafford’s injury as a neck issue.
Stafford entered the blue medical tent because he felt numbness in his legs after taking a sack midway through the third quarter. McVay said Stafford is no longer experiencing the numbness in his legs.
“He is in the concussion protocol, that does not mean he has a concussion,” McVay said. “He’s got a neck issue right now and we’re continuing to gather evidence, but he will be out this week with that neck issue. He is in that protocol because of the way he exited the game.”
McVay declined to say if the Rams (3-7) are considering placing Stafford on injured reserve, which would sideline him for a minimum of four games with seven games left in the regular season. McVay revealed Monday that Stafford sustained a concussion during his previous stint in the protocol, which forced him to miss the Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals.
“We’re just taking it a day at a time,” McVay said about Stafford. “It’s a week at a time at this point. You guys know that we’re going to be smart about this situation. My tune and tone is not going to change in the least bit. It’s about the person and it will always be.”
Bryce Perkins will likely be the Rams’ starting quarterback against the Chiefs, but McVay declined to commit to him Wednesday. John Wolford hasn’t been available because of a neck injury he sustained while filling in for Stafford against Arizona.
On Wednesday, the Rams signed quarterback Case Cookus to their practice squad. Cookus, a 2020 undrafted free agent, grew up in Thousand Oaks and played for the Lancers at Thousand Oaks High. Cookus practiced behind Wolford and Perkins, who received the majority of the first-team repetitions Wednesday.
“Bryce will get the majority of the work today (Wednesday) and we’ll see how John progresses throughout the week,” McVay said.
McVay is waiting to name a starter for Sunday and he’s doing the same with the potential option of shutting down Stafford for the rest of the season. McVay is waiting for more medical results before having that serious discussion with his veteran quarterback and his family.
“To go past this week, I think the most important thing is let’s see how he’s feeling,” McVay said. “Like I said, the tune and the tone will continue to remain consistent. We obviously want to be really smart about that and how we move forward, but I want to be able to gather the appropriate information, but we’re not going to do anything that’s reckless.”
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