Late in the second quarter of the NFC Championship, Matthew Stafford was taken down on a sack that appeared to include a clear grab of his facemask, a play that left the Rams waiting for a flag. But the flag never came. The drive stalled, a field goal followed, and the game kept moving. Yet, the moment didn’t disappear even when they lost 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Nearly a week later, after the league took a closer look, the NFL has now made its call on the incident.

“Refs miss face mask on this Matthew Stafford fumble,” read the caption of an X post by Rate the Refs.

With 12:56 left in the second quarter, Matthew Stafford was sacked and stripped of the ball by Seahawks pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence for a nine-yard loss. The Rams recovered the fumble, but the play raised questions because Lawrence appeared to grab Stafford’s face mask while finishing the tackle. No penalty flag was thrown during the game, and the Rams were forced to settle for a field goal, even though the league has different rules for dealing with an offense as such.

The NFL reviewed the play after the game. And as per the league rules,  a first face mask offense can result in a fine of up to $11,593, with a second offense increasing to $17,389.

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However, when the NFL released fines from the conference championship games, Lawrence didn’t have one for the incident at hand, even though he has a history of being penalized for illegal plays.

During his 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Lawrence was fined five times for a total of $95,374. Three of those fines came from roughing the passer penalties in 2018 and 2019.

During his 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, DeMarcus Lawrence was fined five times by the NFL, accumulating a total of $95,374 in penalties. The bulk of those fines stemmed from roughing the passer violations, with three such penalties issued between 2018 and 2019, including separate incidents involving Cam Newton, Case Keenum, and Teddy Bridgewater, each drawing fines in the $20,000 range. Lawrence was also fined in November 2019 for unsportsmanlike conduct during a game against the New York Giants, while his earliest fine came in 2017 for excessive celebration, specifically for a gesture deemed inappropriate by league standards.

But, apart from this, the only player from either championship game to receive a fine was Lawrence’s teammate, Riq Woolen. The cornerback faced a hefty fine of $17,398 for taunting late in the second quarter.

Despite the debacle, Lawrence and the Seattle Seahawks advanced to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California. And as for Stafford, with the championship game now behind him, the veteran QB has bigger worries, such as figuring out the next step in his career.

Matthew Stafford is unsure of his return in 2026

Matthew Stafford appeared to be lacking clarity about his return after the Los Angeles Rams’ 31–27 loss in the NFC Championship Game. The defeat ended a strong postseason run and raised questions about whether the veteran quarterback will return for an 18th NFL season in 2026. Amid the lingering questions surrounding one more season, the 37-year-old refrained from giving a direct answer while talking about the locker room experiences instead.

“I can’t generalize six months of my life 10 minutes after a loss. So, appreciate the guys in this locker room a whole helluva lot,” Stafford said, per Seattle Times. “Everybody that helped me and helped our team be as successful as we were this year. And that’s all I’ll answer for you.”

Despite the loss, Stafford recorded one of his best performances of the postseason. He completed 22 of 35 passes for 374 yards, threw three touchdowns, and did not record an interception. However, he could not lead a late comeback. The Rams turned the ball over on downs after two incompletions at the goal line with 4:54 remaining. The final drive lasted only two plays before time expired.

Stafford’s 2025 season performance made him a strong contender for the league’s MVP award. He played all 17 games despite dealing with an aggravated disc in his back that limited him during training camp. The 2025 regular season saw him throw for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, marking one of the best seasons in his overall career. While the surge in numbers is a fine indication of the Rams’ bright future, his silence on questions about a return casts dark shadows on the team.