In recent weeks, it has become clear that the health of Matthew Stafford is critical to the Los Angeles Rams’ success this season.

The Rams have had a chance in every game when Stafford has played. When the quarterback injured his thumb against the Dallas Cowboys, the team was blown out and then lost the following week to the mediocre Green Bay Packers.

Stafford was able to return after the Rams’ bye week, and while his sprained thumb hasn’t been fully recovered, he has led the Rams to back-to-back division victories, putting L.A. back in the playoff picture at 5-6.

Stafford revealed as the regular season nears its end that his thumb is still not fully healthy, though it is improving each week.

“Not all the way back.” “I’m still doing what I need to do in terms of tape and support to get it feeling right,” Stafford explained. “But what I’m able to play with is definitely more streamlined than it was in Seattle.” And I think the control is returning a little bit more, being able to fine tune some of those throws at the end as you’re releasing it, changing it if necessary. It’s not all the way back, but it’s definitely trending in the right direction.

Stafford remains optimistic that he will be able to return to full strength at some point and will not be forced to play through the injury for the rest of the season.

“I’m hoping so. Yes, I believe so. What exactly is it? Is it really four weeks since the Dallas game this weekend? As a result, four weeks is not very long for what we are doing. I believe it can improve further.”

Stafford is as tough as they come at quarterback, as evidenced by his performance over the last few weeks. In the Week 12 win over the Arizona Cardinals, he threw four touchdown passes.

Even though he isn’t 100 percent, Stafford gives the Rams a chance to win every week, so the hope is that he doesn’t have any setbacks and continues to improve physically with each passing week.

The Rams recently signed Carson Wentz as their backup quarterback, and while he is an upgrade over Brett Rypien, he should not be taking any meaningful snaps for L.A. anytime soon.