Did Rams' Matthew Stafford avoid concussion protocol in loss to Lions?

Two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long suggested on the latest edition of his "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast that Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford purposely avoided entering the NFL's concussion protocol during Sunday's wild-card playoff loss at the Detroit Lions. 

"[Former New England Patriots players Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman] used to have a system where when a guy was dinged they'd walk over and you'd hold your arm or knee and that's what Matt did," Long explained, as shared by Daniel Bates of The Spun. "He came off the field holding his arm. ... Are you concussed though if you're capable of executing that plan?" 

As noted by Matt Galatzan of Fan Nation's Ram Digest, Stafford seemed to suffer a head injury after the back of his helmet bounced off the turf late in the third quarter of Sunday's game. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk wrote that Stafford "showed a posture consistent with suffering a concussion," but the 35-year-old insisted after the 24-23 defeat that he "took a shot to the ribs and the head" but felt "fine." 

A Rams spokesperson confirmed after the game that Stafford was evaluated for a concussion and cleared to return, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Stafford ultimately completed 25-of-36 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns versus Detroit, but that wasn't enough to guide the Rams to a win over what was his NFL home from 2009 until he was traded to Los Angeles in March 2021. 

Stafford was evaluated for head injuries multiple times in the fall of 2022 until a spinal cord contusion prematurely ended that season for the veteran. While he later became the subject of numerous retirement rumors, Kelly Stafford, Matthew's wife, confirmed following Sunday's loss that he will return to the Rams for at least one more season.