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Matthew Stafford’s wife Kelly blasts NFL over Thanksgiving Eve game
Kelly Stafford has criticised the NFL for giving the Los Angeles Rams only 10 days between games around their bye week, after scheduling them to host Green Bay in the league’s first Thanksgiving Eve game. Her complaint highlights concerns about the Rams’ rest and preparation during a season in which they have faced injuries and an uneven schedule.
Stafford said the team lacked a “true bye week” and noted that even watching the league for 18 years left her tired. Green Bay, by contrast, will have its bye immediately after the game and will not play again until 6 December. The Rams are 4-4 and are projected to travel 34,847 miles this season, the NFL’s second-highest total; after facing the Packers, they have eight days before a Thursday game against Kansas City.
In short
- Kelly Stafford questioned the Rams’ 10-day break around their bye.
- The Packers get a bye after the Thanksgiving Eve game.
- The Rams are 4-4 and face a demanding travel schedule.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The schedule may leave the Rams with too little recovery and preparation time, particularly amid injuries and a demanding travel load. A Thanksgiving Eve fixture that gives Green Bay a bye immediately afterwards can look uneven, and the league should consider player welfare and competitive fairness when arranging games.
The case against
The NFL can argue that a first Thanksgiving Eve game offers fans a distinctive national event and that teams accept schedules shaped by league-wide broadcast and competition demands. The Rams still have eight days before their next game, and a difficult stretch or unequal rest does not by itself show that the schedule is unfair overall.
Explained simply
The NFL is the top professional American football league in the United States. Its teams play a regular-season schedule, with a bye week giving each team a week without a game to rest and prepare.
The Los Angeles Rams are led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, and his wife, Kelly Stafford, has followed the league for many years. The Rams and Green Bay Packers are two of the NFL’s teams, and their game is part of a season in which teams’ schedules can differ in travel and recovery time.
Rest can matter because American football involves frequent physical contact, and teams need time to recover from games and prepare for opponents. The timing of bye weeks and games can therefore affect how much preparation teams have during a demanding season.