Rams get encouraging Matthew Stafford injury update

Matthew Stafford received encouraging news after undergoing X-rays on his injured finger.

The MVP candidate’s X-rays came back negative, stemming from a finger injury suffered during the Los Angeles Rams’ thrilling win over the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round, which kicked off the NFL playoffs Saturday.

Stafford seemingly avoided a fracture, easing any concern about his availability moving forward, as the Rams gear up for the divisional round next weekend.

Stafford injured the finger on his right hand by hitting it on a Panther defender’s arm while making a pass.

He later described the injury as not pleasant.

Matthew Stafford appears to have avoided a serious injury. Getty Images

Yeah, I got a finger bent back,” Stafford said postgame, when asked about his right hand. “They saw it on the TV on the sideline or whatever. I didn’t obviously know exactly what had happened.

“It wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t great. We’ll see what it is. I was obviously able to finish the game and throw it decent. Once the ball’s snapped, the adrenaline’s pretty good, so we’ll hopefully just keep it going.”

Stafford will undoubtedly continue to be monitored day-to-day as the Rams progress through the playoffs.

Stafford, an MVP favorite, completed 24-of-42 for 304 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina.

He threw an NFL-best 4,707 passing yards with a league-high 46 touchdowns to eight interceptions.

The Rams will visit the Bears in the next round of the playoffs.