Fans want Matthew Stafford to retire as Rams QB struggles vs Bengals on MNF - "Screw him," "This is elder abuse"

Fans have called out Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford for his struggles in the 19-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday.

Remember that Stafford had led the Los Angeles Rams to victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. He was vital to the championship puzzle after the Rams had traded for him in exchange for Jared Goff and some draft picks.

Stafford has looked decent through two games this season. The Pro Bowl quarterback fared well after recovering from a spinal cord contusion. Unfortunately, his performance during the 2023 Week 3 game has fans calling for his retirement.

Stafford and the Rams faced the Bengals for the first time after they had edged Joe Burrow and Co. at their home field, SoFi Stadium. However, Stafford threw two interceptions to Logan Wilson and ended the game with 18 completions for 269 yards and a touchdown.

Stafford’s performance had one football fan tweeting:

“Screw Stafford. Trade his sorry a**. Hope we go 1 and 16. Draft Alt. Sign Cousins”

Another fan tweeted after the Bengals pass rush did not allow a third-down conversion to the Rams:

“This is elder abuse”

Here are other comments on X, formerly called Twitter, about Matthew Stafford following the Rams' Week 3 Monday Night Football loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals' defense registered six sacks, two courtesy of Trey Hendrickson, and 10 quarterback hits on Matthew Stafford.

As one of the commenters pointed out, some of those hits could have been avoided had he threw some underneath passes and let his teammates gain additional yards.

Instead, Salford waited for Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and Tyler Higbee to run their routes. The three players combined for 193 yards and a touchdown.

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Is it time for Matthew Stafford to hang up his cleats for good?

In Stafford’s defense, the Rams are still playing without All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who is on the injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. The Rams' offensive line isn’t at full health due to the injuries of Joe Noteboom, Alaric Jackson, Kevin Dotson and Warren McClendon Jr.

Likewise, he did reasonably well during his first two games, completing 58 passes for 641 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Rams will be better when Kupp returns and takes some defensive attention off Atwell and Nacua.

Matthew Stafford has a nice offensive core to work with. Unfortunately, there are some nights where the opponent prepares well. Therefore, it’s back to the drawing board for the Rams as they try to bounce back in Week 4 on the road against the Indianapolis Colts.

Meanwhile, Stafford is under contract with the Rams until 2026. He has done enough to deserve that deal and for the Rams to trust that he can still play until then. However, they must do a better job in protecting him, or a repeat of what happened against the Bengals could happen again.