Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will not play on Sunday at the Kansas City Chiefs after exiting last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints with a possible head injury, coach Sean McVay announced on Wednesday.
McVay told reporters the Rams are still trying to determine whether Stafford suffered a concussion after he was forced to exit last Sunday’s 27-20 loss to the Saints early in the third quarter.
The veteran quarterback previously sustained a head injury in Los Angeles' Week 9 loss at Tampa Bay, and sat out the following week's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
"We're checking all those boxes and going through all that," McVay said. "
"There's a lot of layers to it, but you certainly want to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to [address] exactly what went into that feeling, and letting the experts be able [to] give their opinion, look at the MRI and those scans, and be able to give the right information so that we can move forward accordingly with him."
McVay said Stafford was removed from last week’s game after he felt numbness in his legs after being hit, and was placed in concussion protocol per NFL policy.
The sixth-year head coach added the struggling defending Super Bowl champions could consider shutting Stafford down for the remainder of the season.
"We're not going to do anything that's reckless," McVay said.
"[Stafford] is such a great competitor and I definitely think that's probably one of those deals where if he is cleared, you definitely want to make sure that I'm making a smart decision for him and for our team, not exclusive to this year."
With number two quarterback John Wolford dealing with a neck injury, Bryce Perkins took first-team reps in Wednesday's practice and could be in line for his first career NFL start against the AFC-leading Chiefs.
Perkins, an undrafted free agent who signed with the Rams in 2020, completed five of 10 passes for 64 yards after replacing Stafford last week and added 26 rushing yards on three attempts.
Los Angeles has lost four straight games to fall to 3-7 and are currently three games out of a playoff spot with seven to play.