Let’s be real for a second: The Rams were never supposed to be in the position they were on Sunday. This team was 1-4 in the first five weeks, with Matthew Stafford throwing just 3 TDs and as many interceptions. Things didn’t look pretty for them, but Sean McVay‘s boys kept on pushing and won the NFC West. Then, they proceeded to embarrass the Vikings in the wildcard match-up by completely shutting them off from the red zone. However, on a snowy afternoon in Philadelphia, that dream run for the Rams came crashing down. Now questions are being raised on the NFL future of aging QB Matthew Stafford.

Moments after the defeat in Philly, Stafford was asked to express his thoughts on how his future would look like after Sunday’s disappointing loss. And let’s just say the Rams QB still had lots of confidence in his capabilities. “It’s 30 minutes after the last game so I’ll take some time to think about it, but I feel like I was playing some pretty good ball.” See, for real, Stafford had a good game, throwing for 324 passing yards and 2 TDs without a single interception.

But when he was pressed again by the reporters asking if he still had football left in him, Stafford simply said, “Sure feels like it,” with a smile on his face. While Stafford’s numbers do look pretty from the outside, he also struggled a bit on the offense. His running back, Kyren Williams, had just fumbled the ball, resulting in an Eagles field goal. Stafford joined him in the subsequent drive by fumbling the ball himself on a sack he took from Nolan Smith. The Eagles recovered this loose ball and scored another field goal to take a 22-15 lead. And it ultimately proved too much for the Rams to come back from.

Now, despite everything that happened with Stafford on Sunday. His contributions to the Rams cannot be questioned; he finished his season with a commendable 64.7 QBR. The 36-year-old threw for 3,762 passing yards while chipping in with 20 TDs. Although his 8 interceptions could still be a worry, the Rams don’t really have a replacement lined up to take Stafford’s place. So, he’ll probably be back next season. Sean McVay couldn’t stop praising his veteran QB.

Sean McVay keeps LA guessing on Matthew Stafford’s future

When it was time for McVay to share his stance on the probability of Stafford returning next season, the 38-year-old just outright refused to speak on Stafford’s future. Instead, he praised his QB for playing through a rib injury he suffered in the first half. “Stafford put us in a position to win that football game. That’s who he is, and I’m not at all surprised. We all had the expectation with him leading the way that we were going to win that game.” But a win wasn’t forthcoming for the Rams, who only shot themselves in the foot.

As McVay further added in his press conference, “I think you saw. There were times where some uncharacteristic things in terms of the ball handling. We had two turnovers that probably don’t necessarily occur in different elements. A couple of drops…We had every opportunity to win in the end. We’re a couple of plays away from me being a lot happier right now.” See, there was a time in the 3rd quarter when Stafford found two of his targets on the first and third downs. But both Tyler Higbee and Puka Nacua ended up dropping the ball. And then came those costly turnovers in consecutive Rams possessions.

Those negative plays and Saquon Barkley’s 72-yard run all but ended the Rams’ hopes of winning a second Super Bowl in four years. Sean McVay will go back to the drawing board and analyze what could have been better. There are positive signs for the Rams to look up to and $46.6M in salary cap space. So, they could bring in some much-needed reinforcements to strengthen the roster. Will a replacement for Stafford be one of them?