LOS ANGELES (AP) — Quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to play for the Los Angeles Rams this weekend after tests revealed only a mild sprain of the index finger on his throwing hand.
Stafford injured his finger in the first half of the Rams’ 34-31 victory over the Panthers last Saturday when he banged his hand into the arm of a Carolina defender while throwing a pass.
The MVP candidate was able to play through the injury in the wild-card round, leading the Rams' dramatic comeback for the Super Bowl champion's sixth career playoff victory.
Coach Sean McVay said Monday that Stafford will be available when Los Angeles (13-5) faces Chicago in the divisional round on Sunday.
“He's as tough as it gets, but he's feeling good,” McVay said. “He was able to push through it, and he'll be good to go.”
McVay also said cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon will miss the rest of the Rams' season after reinjuring his shoulder blade. The nine-year veteran will be placed on injured reserve.
The Rams got more encouraging news about Kevin Dotson, with McVay saying the right guard has “a good chance” to return this weekend from his sprained ankle.
Dotson, a key part of the Rams’ rushing attack, sprained his ankle last month when it was stepped on by Seattle linebacker Derick Hall, who received a one-game suspension for his actions.
Witherspoon began the season as a starter for the Rams, but he has played only seven games in a secondary that has been repeatedly exposed as the defense's weakest link, with or without his presence.
Witherspoon broke his shoulder blade in Week 2 at Tennessee, although the injury initially was reported by the Rams as a broken collarbone. He missed 2 1/2 months before returning for the final four regular-season games as a reserve.
He played just 12 snaps at Carolina before getting hurt again, and McVay confirmed that Witherspoon's ninth NFL season is over. Witherspoon had one interception and eight tackles for the Rams this season.
Cobie Durant moved into Witherspoon's starting spot after Week 2, and he kept the spot after Witherspoon's return. Durant had an early interception in the Rams' win at Carolina.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford answers question after an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Carolina Panthers, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
CORRECTS NAME TO MICHAEL WILSON NOT COBIE DURANT - Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson, left, catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (4) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) walks off the field after a win over the Carolina Panthers in an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians could call abroad on mobile phones Tuesday for the first time since communications were halted during a crackdown on nationwide protests in which activists said at least 646 people have been killed.
Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back. The witnesses said SMS text messaging still was down and that internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally but nothing abroad.
The witnesses gave a brief glimpse into life on the streets of the Iranian capital over the four and a half days of being cut off from the world. They described seeing a heavy security presence in central Tehran.
Anti-riot police officers, wearing helmets and body armor, carried batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers. They stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, the witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, who similarly carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces as well.
Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, they said. ATMs had been smashed and banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, the witnesses added.
However, shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began Dec. 28, was to open Tuesday. However, a witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said the security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media had not acknowledged that order.
The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing," Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.
“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”
Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
Trump announced Monday that countries doing business with Iran will face 25% tariffs from the United States. Trump announced the tariffs in a social media posting, saying they would be “effective immediately.”
It was action against Iran for the protest crackdown from Trump, who believes exacting tariffs can be a useful tool in prodding friends and foes on the global stage to bend to his will.
Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are among economies that do business with Tehran.
Trump said Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,700 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the latest death toll early Tuesday. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 512 of the dead were protesters and 134 were security force members.
With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government hasn’t offered overall casualty figures.
A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
FILE - Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)
