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If Matthew Stafford manages to shake off the injury bug, he could possibly take home NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors for the 2023-24 campaign. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback was limited to just nine games this season due to concussion protocol and a spinal cord contusion.
He threw for 2,087 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions, with the Rams winning only three of those nine contests and finishing the season with a forgettable 5-12 record.
Things were quite different a year ago as the Rams went 12-5 and defeated Joe Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Stafford threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns during the 23-20 victory.
Rams receiver Cooper Kupp won MVP of the game, though, after posting eight catches, 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Matthew Stafford has won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award before
Stafford is no stranger to the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. He won the honor back in 2011 as a member of the Detroit Lions.
That year, he played in every game, producing a career-high 5,038 passing yards and 41 touchdowns (tying his career high) as well as 16 interceptions. More importantly, he led the Lions to their first playoff appearance in 12 years. He played just three games the previous season due to a shoulder injury.
If Stafford is named Comeback Player of the Year next season, he would become only the second player in NFL history to win the award twice. Chad Pennington won it in both 2006 and 2008.
Former San Diego Chargers running back Paul Lowe won the award in both 1963 and 1965 before the AFL/NFL merger.
Can Matthew Stafford bounce back for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023-24?
The Rams' 12 losses this season were the most ever by a team that won the Super Bowl the previous year. But that's what happens when you suffer a boatload of injuries.
Stafford wasn't the only key player on the roster who missed time. Fellow stars Aaron Donald and Cupp were sidelined with injuries as well.
Expect the Rams to get back to the the playoffs next season as a healthy Stafford and Co. return to the field. Look for Stafford, who said he will not retire, to add another Comeback Player of the Year award to his trophy case.
