The Los Angeles Rams' upcoming campaign could be over before it even starts.
There was recently immense optimism for the Rams' future outlook, considering last season ended on the road just 13 yards away from knocking off the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles with a depleted offensive line.
Even with the addition of superstar wideout Davante Adams and bolstering off the trenches, the squad's trajectory hinges on the health of signal-caller Matthew Stafford.
The Pro Bowl gunslinger has struggled to practice with a lingering back discomfort. Coach Sean McVay announced surgery isn't on the table yet, but the concern that the injury could worsen over time is evident.
While appearing on "The Herd," former NFL journeyman Matt Hasselbeck suggested there should be immense unease in Los Angeles around Stafford's weary health.
"I'm concerned about Stafford's back," Hasselbeck said. "The closest thing I can equate that to is if you burn your mouth on a hot piece of pizza, and it doesn't get better quickly—that's kind of what back injuries are like. Even if it does, you missed all this time of heavy weight training and physicality deep in the off-season. I'd be very concerned if I were a Rams fan right now."
Four of the first six games on the Rams' schedule come against perennial playoff teams, including traveling to Philly to face the aforementioned Eagles.
If Stafford isn't playing at his elite level out of the gate, there's a chance the franchise falls into a hole it can't recover from.
More details will emerge, but any Rams hype has to be put on pause for the foreseeable future.