Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford may have used an “old trick” to avoid entering concussion protocol in Sunday’s playoff game against the Detroit Lions, according to a former NFL star.

Stafford was visibly shaken up after taking a vicious shot (while defenseless) in the third quarter of Sunday’s Wild Card Round game. The 35-year-old quarterback was looked at on the sidelines but wound up returning soon after:

Some fans wondered how Stafford re-entered the game so quickly when he should have been looked at in concussion protocol. Pay attention to Stafford’s eyes right after he takes the hit:

Speaking on his “Green Light” show, former NFL star defensive end Chris Long suggested that Stafford might have used an “old trick” to avoid entering concussion protocol:

“Danny (Amendola) and Jules (Julian Edelman) used to have a system where if a guy was dinged, they’d walk over and like, you’d hold your arm or your knee. And that’s what Matt did, he like came off the field holding his arm…Are you concussed though, if you’re capable of executing that?

(WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS LANGUAGE THAT IS NSFW):

Stafford had a near-flawless outing despite the Rams’ 24-23 loss, completing 25 pass attempts for 367 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Fittingly, the Lions defeated their old friend in Stafford to clinch the franchise’s first playoff victory in 32 years.

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